Blast of Fire - DISCONTINUED
by metallicgirl42
Summary: This is a spinoff of my first TFA fanfic. It focuses on Starscream's second daughter, Fireblast, who feels out of place in her community as a young teenager. Full summary inside. DICTONTINUED
1. Miss Inferiority

**Full summary to **_**Blast of Fire**_**: This is my spin-off to **_**Decepticons Have More Fun**_**, focusing on Starscream's second daughter, Fireblast. This takes place many years after DHMF ends, when Fireblast is around her early teens. She realizes that she is not her accomplished, charismatic older sister (Skydive) or her cute, coddled younger brother (temporary name: Flyboy). Fireblast feels she is expected to become a Seeker like her father and sister, but doesn't feel comfortable with the title—not to mention she's not very good at flying. Fireblast feels out of place in both her community and her family, but has no idea what to do about it.**

**Our story begins outside the cave lair, where Starscream and Skydive are once again trying to teach Fireblast how to fly.**

Starscream and Skydive were both standing there, waiting for Fireblast to make them proud. Fireblast knew, however, that she would fail horribly this time, just like _every _time. Her talent was not flying. So how was she ever going to become a Seeker?

"Come on, Fireblast," said Skydive encouragingly. "I _know _you can do it."

_Easy for you to say_, _Skydive_, Fireblast thought scathingly. Skydive was the kind of older sister who was absolutely perfect—she was beautiful, kind, smart, funny, popular, a great dancer, an excellent Seeker with really neat weapons, and she even had a boyfriend—Swordslash, a Decepticon warrior only a little older than she was who had been dumped in a horrible, filthy orphanage after his family had been taken offline in the war. Several stellar cycles ago, Megatron had found Swordslash in the orphanage and brought him to join his ranks as a fierce warrior with a lust for being bad—and Swordslash and Skydive had fallen in love at first sight.

As for Fireblast, she was still single, because as far as she could tell, there was no mech who could ever love her. She was basically a loser-bot who couldn't do _anything _right. No matter how hard she practiced flying, she always ended up crashing into a tree or a building or something. She tried on Megatron's cannon one time but it was so heavy it made her fall over. She had been branded recently so she was now a true Decepticon (supposedly) but she didn't feel like a true Decepticon, much less a true Seeker.

They were watching, though, so Fireblast transformed into a black jet (her color scheme was black and dark green) and started to fly. Oh, slag—flying in jet mode was even harder than flying in robot mode. _Don_'_t look down_, _don_'_t look down_! Fireblast frantically told herself, but she was freaking out again—how could anyone ACTUALLY enjoy flying? And before she knew it there was another CRASH!

What do you know? Fireblast had crashed into _another _tree.

"Oops…sorry," said Fireblast. She quickly transformed into robot mode and landed on the ground, feeling humiliated.

"You'll get it soon enough, Fireblast…remember, flying runs in our family," Skydive told her sister, helpfully brushing some orange leaves off her wings. (It was fall, so all the leaves were turning red, orange, brown and yellow.)

"Get your servos off my wings." Fireblast scowled and slapped her older sister's servo away. "Just because flying runs in our family doesn't necessarily mean that I'll enjoy it."

Skydive just sighed and went to stand next to her father again.

"Why don't we call it a solar cycle?" they heard Spaceflower ask. She had come out of the cave lair and was noticing how depressed her second daughter looked.

"I agree, Mom." Fireblast was relieved. "I'm thirsty."

So they went inside, where Swordslash was waiting, an empty seat next to him. Skydive's personality always changed whenever she was around Swordslash; as soon as she saw her mech she giggled and flounced over to him, then plopped herself adorably in the chair.

"Hello, Sweetie," said Swordslash, as soon as she sat herself down.

"Oh, you know I love it when you call me by my sparkling nickname!" Skydive giggled again.

"Does the little sparkling want her meal now?" asked Swordslash in a baby voice, holding up an energon cube. Skydive nodded and Swordslash _actually _fed her the energon. Fireblast thought she would blow a gasket. Swordslash, in her opinion, was just annoying, and whenever he and Skydive got all cutesy with each other it just made her sick.

Meanwhile, Flyboy was crying…again. Flyboy was the temporary name of Starscream and Spaceflower's youngest child and only son. He was fussy and cried a lot, but he was so cute that everyone spoiled him rotten; plus being the only boy definitely gave him some automatic attention.

"Oh, you poor little thing, you're probably thirsty, aren't you?" Spaceflower cooed, holding up a canister of low-grade motor oil. Flyboy just cried even louder, until Spaceflower finally stuck the straw into his mouth.

Fireblast groaned internally. _Everyone _seemed happy today, except for her. Megatron, as usual, was ignoring her. Since she had no discernible skills, he seemed to think she was of no use to him. She had gotten branded about half a stellar cycle ago, as was tradition, but she could never impress Megatron the way Skydive did.

And as for Flyboy, well, Megatron was probably happy Starscream and Spaceflower had finally gotten a boy sparkling, since sometimes he didn't allow femmes on big missions. Fireblast had never really understood this, because if a femme was a good fighter, and you needed an extra warrior, why not include her? It wasn't really her call to make, though, so she just kept quiet.

"Does my honey bunny want to go on a big date tomorrow night?" Swordslash was asking, as he tickled Skydive under the chin.

"Of course!" Skydive giggled. "I love you so much, Swordslash!"

"I love you too, Sweetie," he told her, and grabbed her close. "Come here!"

_Dear Primus_! Now Skydive and her stupid boyfriend were making out _right at the dinner table_! Starscream and Spaceflower didn't seem to care all that much, either. Didn't _anyone _find this behavior unacceptable?

Some might think Swordslash was (to put it bluntly) a huge weenie, but in actuality, he could be a fierce, ruthless warrior. Megatron was very happy to find him in the orphanage, and Swordslash was overjoyed to finally be away from that horrible place.

During his time at the orphanage, Swordslash only got one meal per solar cycle (if that) so he was extremely low on energy when they had found him. The owner of the orphanage was terribly cruel and Swordslash had plenty of scars where he had been whipped and beaten; his paint had been cracked and he was devoid of weapons, too. The place itself was filthy so there were germs everywhere, and most of the other orphans were very sick—but of course they had no medical care. Swordslash had been living in the orphanage too long, so long that he had almost forgotten what the outside world was like.

Besides Shockwave, though, Swordslash was probably Megatron's favorite. He had a lethal sword (of course), which he wielded with expertise. He had also been given, upon arrival, a cannon similar to Megatron's, only slightly smaller. All those stellar cycles in the orphanage had made him tough and ready for a fight, so he was never one to run away from battle. His vehicle mode was a helicopter, similar to Megatron's, only smaller and black (his color scheme was mostly black).

Swordslash's personality changed, however, whenever he encountered Skydive (even though he still called her by her sparkling nickname, "Sweetie"). He turned into one of those romantic types—giving her roses, opening doors for her, buying her candied cyberberries (her favorites), giving her sappy nicknames, etc. Usually Swordslash was a tough, no-nonsense warrior that Megatron would definitely approve of, but when he was around Skydive, he became a romantic, chivalric young suitor that Spaceflower would definitely approve of. Everyone could tell he was deeply in love with this accomplished Seeker.

As for Skydive, it was true that she was just as in love with Swordslash as he was in love with her. Fireblast remembered how sometimes late at night when their lights were out she and Skydive would discuss things like falling in love and finding the mech who you were meant to be with. One time, when she was feeling particularly brave, Fireblast had asked Skydive what overload was like (for she knew, of course, that Skydive and Swordslash interfaced quite enough).

"Oh, Fireblast," Skydive said romantically. It was so dark that she couldn't even see her older sister, but Fireblast knew Skydive probably had that stupid dreamy look on her face again. "If you do it with the right mech…and I know I did…then it's the most wonderful feeling you could ever experience."

"How?" Fireblast asked impatiently. "In what way?"

"Trust me, younger sister," Skydive whispered. "Wait until the time comes and then you'll know what I mean."

"Does…does 'facing hurt?"

"It hurts a little, the first time," Skydive replied. "But don't worry. That'll go away after a while, and then it only feels good…believe me."

"I want someone special to take my virginity," Fireblast heard herself say. "Not just any stupid mech."

"Of course," Skydive told her. "And you will find someone special."

"Mmm, I don't know…I feel like I'll be one of those femmes who _never _finds a mech. I'll be a hopeless virgin all my life cycle."

"Don't talk that way." Fireblast heard the smile in Skydive's voice. "You're not going to end up like that at all."

"But you don't _know _that," protested Fireblast. "I'm always looking for a boyfriend."

"When you do find true love, it won't be because you were looking for it," Skydive told her sister calmly. "But it will come. Whatever you are seeking, my sister, may you find it and have peace."

_May you find it and have peace_. Still rather hard to believe, Fireblast thought, as she watched Skydive and Swordslash flirting away. Fireblast didn't just want love in her life cycle; she wanted to be someone talented—someone who had a specialty, someone pretty, someone _not _mediocre…but everything about her practically screamed mediocrity.

"If you guys don't mind, I'm just going to go relax in my room a little," said Fireblast, getting up from her chair. She hadn't even finished her barrel of Decepticon motor oil, but she wasn't thirsty.

Once Fireblast got to the room she shared with Skydive, she laid down on her bed and tried not to cry. What was _wrong _with her? Her older sister, Skydive, was perfect. Her younger brother was spoiled rotten because he was adorable. And yet there was nothing special about Fireblast—she had no special talents. Megatron ignored her; she didn't have a boyfriend; she couldn't fly; even though the reasonable part of her said this wasn't true, sometimes she felt like no one cared about her at all.


	2. Tied to the Flagpole

Once again Microdigit found himself cowering under a lab table in the Elite Guard science lab, scared half to death. Sentinel Prime had been teasing him again, about the usual things—how he was an intern for Perceptor, who was a huge nerd too; how his "vehicle mode" was a video game console; how he spent virtually all of his free time in the science lab; but to be honest, the science lab was the only place he really felt at home.

Right now he was working on a cure for a certain dangerous computer virus that was running rampant on Cybertron. Not exactly the Cybertronian plague, but still something to be concerned about. He felt good when he was working on experiments, like nothing else mattered. He remembered what Perceptor always told him—"Make me proud."

Perceptor was like a father to him, especially because his parents never wanted him to go into science. His father was an energon farmer and his mother a stay-at-home mom, and neither of them had any interest in the sciences. While Microdigit could respect this, he could not stay in a place where nobody paid attention to his obvious calling—science. So he ran away from home, hitched a ride on the Elite Guard ship, and gave himself the name Microdigit. (In his family, he hadn't been given a name yet, since he was still young.)

The only reason the nerd-bot could stay on the Elite Guard ship was because Perceptor was very impressed by his scientific prowess and his interest in creating a cure for the newest computer virus—and perhaps even that stupid Cybertronian plague while they were at it. So Microdigit became an intern, hoping each solar cycle that _he _could become a real scientist too someday, just like his idol, Perceptor.

This also meant, of course, that he had to endure a lot of teasing, mostly from Sentinel Prime. Every single thing about Microdigit was nerdy—there was no denying it…but was that a _bad _thing, necessarily? After all, nerds are the ones who come up with new technology, new inventions, and cures for possibly fatal computer viruses. No one listened when he tried to explain this, though. He was no stranger to teasing—he endured even more of it back at home on the energon farm. Nerds were the ones everyone liked to tease, no matter _how _smart they were. Come up with a cure for all Cybertronian viruses and what do you get? That's right—_more _teasing.

"Microdigit? You in here?" Microdigit recognized Perceptor's voice. Right now though he didn't feel like talking to anyone, so he just stayed silent.

"Where are you?" asked Perceptor. "I know you're in here."

Microdigit stood up and walked over to the scientist he worked for. "I was just continuing to work on my cure. I think I know now what's causing the virus but I can't get rid of it. It's multiplying, almost like space barnacles."

"Well, just keep working on it, I know you'll figure it out," said the microscope, then looked down at his intern again. "What happened? Was Sentinel teasing you again?"

"I guess." Microdigit shrugged. "It doesn't matter…I was always teased at home. You get used to it."

"Just remember what all the nerds say," Perceptor told him. "Someday, they will rue the solar cycle they tied us to a flagpole near school and let us stay there for a good megacycle or two, laughing cruelly as they did so."

"That happened to you, too?" asked Microdigit, shocked.

"Yes it did, multiple times, so don't give up hope," said Perceptor, clapping his intern on the shoulder and then leaving the lab.

Microdigit's hopes _were_ raised slightly as he got some test tubes out of the cabinet. Those jerks he knew from school _would _regret all the humiliating things they had done to him, he thought.

Again he found himself thinking of their big school dance, one of the last school-organized events he endured before he finally couldn't take it any more. He went to a very small school, which meant everybody knew who had a date and who didn't. (Gossip _always_ spread like wildfire in schools like his.) Microdigit did not have a date, and everyone had been making fun of him for _that_, too.

He didn't have a date because the femmes in his school weren't interested in nerds. They were all interested in handsome mechs who everyone loved even though they were all huge jerks. The kind who turned into big trucks or muscle cars; the kind who always had a pack of beautiful femmes surrounding him asking, "Would you take _me_ for a ride, handsome?"

"Just after I tie this impossibly nerdy video game console to a flagpole again," the jerk would say.

Then he and his femme of the week would find a flagpole with the Autobot flag flying from it, and before he knew it Microdigit would be, once again, helplessly tied up and unable to escape.

"You will rue the solar cycle you did this!" he would holler, but no one would hear.

He remembered what his parents would say to him, over and over again: "Get out of the science lab! Go to a party and get drunk, interface with someone you don't know, commit a crime, _just_ _do_ _something_!"

Microdigit winced at all his bad memories. He didn't get why the femmes he knew from school weren't interested in nerds and scientific things. Science, according to him, was _fascinating_. What could be better than spending all your time cooped up in the science lab, working on experiments that could benefit _everyone_?

Well, maybe being able to hold real conversation with a real femme would be nice. He had talked to Elite Guard femmes before; and he had a bratty sparkling sister back home; but other than that, well…let's just say his skills with the other half of the Autobot race weren't _quite_ as perfected as his science skills.

…

Microdigit blinked groggily as he lifted his head up from the lab table. He had pulled another all-nighter. Usually he didn't even notice he was drifting off into stasis until he woke up the next morning with a test tube stuck to his faceplates. At least he was getting closer to the goal of his latest scientific project, though. That was what mattered.

He recognized Sentinel Prime's boastful laugh and quickly turned himself into a game console, hoping somehow that this would lessen his chances of being teased again. Unfortunately, the hope was in vain.

"Why, if it isn't Microdigit the Nerd-Bot," said Sentinel haughtily, standing over the smaller mech. "Pull another all-nighter in the lab?"

_Just don_'_t answer him_, Microdigit told himself, staying in his game console mode. _The more you respond_, _the longer he will stay_.

"I've known some big nerds in my time, but you really break all records," Sentinel continued. "I mean, seriously, you're such a nerdy little wimp. I don't know why Ultra Magnus let you stay on the ship."

Microdigit wanted to say, _He let me stay on the ship because I_'_m smart and actually care about how others FEEL_, _unlike YOU_, _Sentinel_, _you big mean glitch_-_head_, but he caught himself just in time. He knew better than to respond to Sentinel's taunts by now. If he just let Sentinel talk himself out, eventually he would go away; but if he responded, things would only get worse.

"Well?" asked Sentinel. "Aren't you going to answer me, nerd-bot?"

_Don_'_t be intimidated_, Microdigit said to himself. _Just wait for this huge_-_chinned idiot to go away_.

After a long silence, Sentinel Prime finally said, "Whatever. I've got better things to do than try to talk to some huge nerd who lives in the science lab."

As soon as he was sure Sentinel was gone, Microdigit turned back into a robot and whispered, "Yes!"

Microdigit started setting up his science tools to experiment again, but as he did so he was still thinking. Mostly, he was glad that he was away from school. Sure, Sentinel teased him a lot, but that was better than what he had to endure back in his solar cycles at school.


	3. Fireblast's Decision

_Back at the cave lair_…

"BLITZWING!" Fireblast heard Starscream yelling. She went into the kitchen and saw Starscream by the refrigerator, looking annoyed.

"What happened, Dad?" she asked.

"Blitzwing was supposed to do the shopping this month and he _forgot_!" yelled Starscream. "Now all we have is that Autobot motor oil that tastes like water."

Fireblast walked over to the fridge and picked up one of the Autobot oil canisters. It was full, and had the red Autobot insignia on the side. Feeling thirsty all of a sudden, she opened it and started to drink.

"Seriously, I don't know how you can drink that stuff," said Starscream. "And don't drink too much, dinner's in only an hour."

…

At dinnertime, Fireblast was sipping the leftover Autobot motor oil, as was everyone else. Fireblast thought her father was right—this oil _did _taste gross…but Skydive and Swordslash didn't seem to mind. Like usual, they were flirting with each other.

"Anyway, my dear," said Swordslash, putting his arm around Skydive, "I love you more than anything or anyone in the whole universe."

"I know…I'm an interesting femme," Skydive giggled, and Swordslash kissed her on the head.

"Yes, you are," he told her.

"Oh, don't worry, I love you best too," she reassured him.

"I love you more," said Swordslash.

"No, I love _you _more," protested Skydive.

_Oh_, _great_, thought Fireblast. _Now they_'_re going to start arguing about which one loves the other more again_. _How annoying_!

"Making you my girlfriend was the best decision I ever made in my whole lifecycle." Swordslash grabbed Skydive and the two of them started making out with each other (AGAIN), obviously not thinking about others that might be watching them.

"Well, I want to be your girlfriend forever and ever!" Skydive cooed, breaking the kiss for a split second, then plunging straight into it again.

"And I can make _all _your dreams come true," Swordslash told her. "And that reminds me…"

Swordslash suddenly stood up and walked over to Starscream, who was drinking Autobot motor oil with a grimace on his face. Most Decepticons preferred the Decepticon mixture—Megatron's "own special mixture", as he put it. Autobot oil just wasn't strong enough. And right now there wasn't any energon, either, which made it even worse.

"What is it, Swordslash?" asked Starscream, pushing away the Autobot motor oil. Until they got ahold of energon and/or Decepticon motor oil, he would only drink what was necessary.

"I humbly request your oldest daughter's hand in marriage," said Swordslash politely, bowing.

"_What_?" yelled Starscream and Spaceflower at the same time. Predictably, Flyboy (who was sitting in his mother's lap) started wailing.

"I wish to marry Skydive," Swordslash repeated. "I promise I will take good care of her."

Starscream and Spaceflower looked so shocked. Finally, Starscream took a long sip of the Autobot motor oil and replied, "Well…if it's okay with her…I don't see why not."

Fireblast looked over at her sister, who looked even more shocked than her parents. Her eyes were wide and her mouth was open. The oil canister she had been holding had dropped out of her servo and spilled all over the table, but nobody noticed.

"Skydive…" Swordslash slowly walked over to his girlfriend, got down on one knee, and pulled out a sparkling diamond necklace. "You are an accomplished, confident, funny, kind and beautiful young femme. I always feel complete when I am with you and I am so glad I met you. Will you marry me?"

Swordslash was looking up at Skydive, optics full of pure love. Skydive's optics were full of love too as she gently took the necklace from her boyfriend, fastened it around her neck, and cried, "Oh, Swordslash, of course I'll marry you!"

Everyone cheered as Swordslash picked Skydive up and kissed her. Even Fireblast was cheering because she had never seen a marriage proposal before.

"I love you, Skydive," Swordslash told her passionately, still not letting her down.

"I love you too, Swordslash," Skydive whispered happily.

"Are you done with dinner, my love?" asked Swordslash. "For I wish to start planning the wedding…in my bedroom."

Swordslash's room used to be Blackarachnia's, but once she moved out, the room had been given to Thundercracker. Then, once Swordslash joined the Decepticons, Thundercracker had to move back in with the other Seekers.

"Looks like we've got a lot of planning to do," Skydive giggled, and pulled her husband-to-be out of the kitchen.

"Oh, like they're _actually _going to be planning," Fireblast said sarcastically, after a long silence.

"They're young and in love, Fireblast." Spaceflower gently patted her daughter's shoulder. "Just let it be."

_About two Earth weeks later_…

Wedding plans were now in full swing. Everyone was rushing about, doing everything in their power to prepare for a big wedding.

Consequently, though, this meant that the bride hadn't been out to fly in a while, which meant she was susceptible to "Flying-Deprivation Syndrome". FDS was a nasty condition that plagued Seekers who were grounded for long periods of time. It caused violent mood swings, cravings for energon, dizziness, and aching body parts.

Skydive was drinking some of their energon. She had been complaining of aching wings, the body part that hurt the most for the unfortunate Seeker who had FDS. The fact of the matter was that she didn't have time to get out and fly—so maybe energon would deaden some of the pain.

"How long has it been since you've done any flying, my love?" asked Swordslash carefully.

"About four days," replied Skydive sullenly. "That's why I don't feel well."

"Why don't you get outside and fly?"

"I _can_'_t_, don't you see?" Skydive cried. "I'm too busy! I'm going to be married soon!"

"Exactly, it's supposed to be a _happy _thing," Swordslash reminded her.

"Femmes don't just see weddings as the bondage of two 'bots in love, we see it as a huge social event, too," Fireblast informed her future brother-in-law. Typically, she found Swordslash annoying, but right now she was feeling just a little sorry for the Decepticon warrior. "_I_'_m _not surprised at all that she's feeling stressed."

"Please, my love, try to calm down," Swordslash begged.

"Just leave her _be_, Swordslash," Fireblast insisted.

Skydive was, indeed, looking stressed. "I have so much to do! I have to pick new colors for my wedding paint job, I have to figure out my guest list, I have to—"

"Skydive, listen." Swordslash held his spark-mate's servos in his and whispered, "Everything's going to be fine. I _promise_."

_Later that evening_, _at dinnertime_…

Fireblast was feeling pretty sulky. There had been a lot of wedding planning going on, and for the whole solar cycle she had to listen to her older sister's complaining. The only reason Fireblast hadn't retorted was because she knew better than to fight with a victim of FDS, but she was getting to the end of her string.

What did Skydive have to whine about, anyway? After all, she had a boyfriend who really cared about her—and soon, he would be her husband. Fireblast, on the other hand, knew she would end up alone…and dreadfully lonely.

"I have so much to do," Skydive was saying, sounding even more stressed-out than before. "I don't know what I'm going to do about it, it's making me go insane, I just don't—"

"Would you shut up already?" Fireblast suddenly blurted. "You don't have anything to complain about! The only thing you're whining about is the fact that you have a boyfriend who loves you. You're so ungrateful for everything you have. Just SHUT UP!"

"You know, Fireblast, you are hardly _ever _nice to me!" Skydive retorted, springing out of her chair.

"Skydive, _please_," said Swordslash, but his bride paid no heed.

"I put up with your rudeness to me because you're my sister and I love you!" Skydive shouted. "But even I have my limits!"

"And what in Primus is _that _supposed to mean?" Fireblast asked angrily.

"It means that you're a jealous little wench who wants everything to go her way and a disturbance to the peace!" Skydive told her. (Skydive normally never would have said something like that, but the circumstances were _not _influencing her mood in a good way.)

"I can't believe you would call me that!" Fireblast felt hot tears brimming in her optics, but turned away so Skydive couldn't see. "You're the worst older sister ever! I-I hate you!"

With that she stood up and ran all the way to her room, servos over her face. Once she got inside she locked the door and collapsed on the bed, weeping bitterly. Yes, the room belonged to both her and Skydive, but the door was locked, and the only one who could override the codes on these doors was Megatron (Fireblast was pretty sure Megatron didn't want to get in a fight with two quarreling sisters).

Soon enough, though, Fireblast heard knocking at the door and Skydive calling, "Fireblast? Fireblast, please open up! Are you okay?"

"W-What do you c-care?" Fireblast sobbed. "I'm just a jealous little wench!"

"I'm sorry about saying that!" cried Skydive. "I-I didn't mean it!"

"Just leave me _alone_!"

"No, I _won_'_t _leave you alone!" Skydive kept pounding on the door. "Please, Fireblast, listen. I'm really sorry."

"GO AWAY!" Fireblast told her. "Go take out your FDS on somebody else—like your stupid boyfriend!"

"_Fireblast_!" said Skydive exasperatedly.

"I SAID GO AWAY!" Fireblast hollered.

"You know, if you're going to be _that_ way, then you can just stay there and cry!" Skydive hollered back, her mood changing again, and then there was silence.

…

Eventually, Spaceflower got Megatron to override the code on the door's lock, but that didn't mean Skydive and Fireblast had to speak to each other. It was nighttime, and Skydive was turned towards the wall, fitfully sleeping. Fireblast, though, couldn't sleep. This fight _proved _it—that no one wanted her or would ever want her.

It wasn't _fair_. Skydive had everything she wanted and Fireblast had nothing. She was just a loser-bot who would never find her purpose—if she even _had _a purpose, that is. And she probably didn't.

Fireblast thought of all the bad times she had at the cave lair. Finally, she got out of bed and found herself walking to the door.

"I'm not going to stay somewhere where I'm not wanted," she muttered to herself. "They'll be happy when I'm gone."

As quietly as she could, the young femme headed out the door. The cave lair was, unfortunately, on an island, so it wasn't going to be easy for her to hitch a ride. Yes, she could try to fly, but she knew that would only turn out badly.

Fireblast crept through the bushes until she saw the water—and a boat that read _Sumdac Systems _on the side. This could come in handy.


	4. Stowaway

_That next morning_…

Fireblast carefully walked around the ship, feeling a little frightened. She had no idea how to fly a ship—or steer a ship, in this case, since this wasn't a spaceship…it was just a water ship. Not that that made it any less complicated.

One thing she did know was that she needed to find the control room. Maybe then she would be able to steer the ship across the water, away from the cave lair, and then to…well, she didn't really know where. For pretty much all of her lifecycle, she had never been too far from home. Skydive had told her about how Starscream and Spaceflower had gotten married on Cybertron, but since she had only been a sparkling then, and had spent most of the time with sparkling-sitters anyway, Fireblast could not remember.

Jumping at every noise she heard, Fireblast peeked around corners and stuck her head into doorways as she crept all around the ship. The control room had to be here _somewhere_, right?

"I expect we'll be back at the Elite Guard ship in a few solar cycles, Agent Blurr…"

WHAT THE…? Fireblast jumped at an unfamiliar female voice just around the corner. Her tone was somewhat colloquial, yet still had a matter-of-fact air to it. Fireblast was panicking; the footsteps were coming closer, and she didn't know who they belonged to. Who was "Agent Blurr"? And who was the femme who was talking?

Fireblast had the feeling that before this was over, she would be sorry she'd asked.

Meanwhile, there was a mech's voice talking now, very fast, so fast Fireblast couldn't understand it. She looked around and spotted a barrel of oil laying on its side on the ship's floor; thinking quickly, she lifted the barrel up and jumped right inside it.

Unfortunately, the barrel was not empty, so Fireblast found herself soaked in motor oil…but that was better than being caught by the two unknown Autobots who walked around the corner just after Fireblast hid.

As soon as they were gone, Fireblast jumped out of the oil barrel and followed the Autobots down the hallway into—finally!—the control room, the room she had been trying to find herself.

The two Autobots were still there. Fireblast figured they owned the ship—just her luck that she had to find a ship that belonged to the Autobots! And hadn't the femme said something about the Elite Guard? Fireblast had never met the Elite Guard but of course she knew who they were; she shivered just at the thought. The Elite Guard did not take kindly to Decepticons, even if they were merely sad young femmes who had run away from home.

Fireblast hadn't been able to see the Autobots before, but now she could. The femme was tall and slim, with a pink-and-white color scheme. The other, the mech, was mostly blue and still talking. _How in Primus does he talk that fast_? wondered Fireblast, but that wasn't the biggest of her problems.

_No matter what_, Fireblast thought, _I can_'_t let the Autobots know they have a stowaway_.

Since the two Autobots looked like they were going to stay in the control room for now, Fireblast hid behind the corner and wondered what she should do right about now. She was in a very difficult position. If she tried to get off the ship, the Autobots definitely would notice. Even if they didn't, she would have to explain to Megatron and her parents both why she had run away once she got back to base.

Spaceflower: Where WERE you? We were worried sick!

Fireblast: I was only gone for the morning!

Megatron: You weren't trying to run away from home…were you?

Fireblast (with fake laugh): Oh, of course not! I was…um…exploring the area…and…um…I got lost.

Starscream: I don't think so. You're grounded, Fireblast.

_But then again_, Fireblast thought, _maybe they don_'_t care enough to notice I_'_ve gone missing_…_after all_, _why would they_? _They_'_re all busy fussing over stupid Skydive and her stupid boyfriend and their stupid wedding_. _They don_'_t care about little old Fireblast_, _a loser_-_bot who can_'_t even fly_…_or do ANYTHING right_, _come to think of it_. _I_'_m just a dishonor to the family_. _They_'_re probably HAPPY that I_'_m finally out of the cave_.

"Well, it's not going down like that," Fireblast whispered angrily. The young jet looked out across the water through the ship's porthole. Across these waters there lay opportunity, adventure, freedom.

_I_'_ve spent ENOUGH time in the cave_, Fireblast thought to herself defiantly. _I_ _don_'_t know where this ship is going_, _but it_'_s going away from here_—_exactly what I need_.

It was the first time Fireblast had ever been on a water ship. She had ridden on spaceships before—not often, but she had. However…she had never been on a water ship before. And now the ship was starting to move—quicker through the water with every second. It gave Fireblast the strangest feeling in her oil tubes. _Why oh why did I drink that Autobot motor oil_? she thought miserably.

Fireblast had found a little corner in the control room where the Autobots wouldn't notice her (at least, she hoped they wouldn't). She was pretty sure the femme was named Arcee, and that the mech was named Blurr. They were, apparently, sailing the ship back to somewhere called…Fireblast couldn't quite recall the name, although one of them did say something about a "motor city". _Whatever that means_!

…

Fireblast didn't know how long the trip lasted, but she guessed it couldn't have been more than a solar cycle or two. The feeling she got in her oil tubes whenever the boat moved reminded her of how she felt every time she tried flying—but at least she wasn't the one steering this time.

Finally, around mid-afternoon, the boat pulled up to shore. Fireblast felt her mouth drop open in shock. She had never seen such tall buildings. These buildings, most likely, were small compared to the buildings on Cybertron, her home planet, but she had never seen those buildings. The cave lair was where she had resided almost all of her lifecycle, so seeing downtown Detroit was a whole new experience for her.

Fireblast managed to nimbly climb out of a porthole window, although it took some (very painful) effort to get her wings out. That proved it! Those wings were nothing but a nuisance—she never used them, anyway.

Wondering what was to come, Fireblast hid behind the big ship until finally, the Autobots walked off. She debated whether or not to follow them. On one hand, they were going to the Elite Guard, and if the Elite Guard caught her, she would be sent to the stockades for who knows how long.

On the other hand…Fireblast was completely unfamiliar with this city. Heck, she was hardly familiar with this _planet_. If she followed the Autobots, maybe she could pretend to be an Autobot herself. Sure, she couldn't hide her blatant Seeker-in-training look—jet vehicle mode; black and dark green paint job; wings sticking out of her back with the Decepticon insignia stamped permanently on both of them; but maybe that could be the "reason" why she ran away—she wanted to join the Autobots. Who knew? Maybe Ultra Magnus would buy it and let her join, at least until she found her feet in this strange new city.

_MEANWHILE_, _BACK AT BASE_…

"Fireblast's gone!" cried Skydive, dashing out of her bedroom.

Starscream and Spaceflower both were having their breakfast like any other morning—Starscream was casually sipping energon; Spaceflower was practically forcing Autobot-brand motor oil down her son's throat as he screamed and fought her back. Swordslash was there, too, reading the _Decepticon Tribune_.

"_Gone_?" asked Spaceflower, dropping the oil canister. "Gone _where_?"

"I don't know!" Skydive told her. "I woke up this morning and her bed was empty—I've been looking all over for her—she's nowhere! She must have run away during the middle of the night!"

Swordslash set the newspaper down on the table and stood up. "Run away? Why—why would she…?"

"It's…it's all my fault!" Skydive suddenly burst into tears and collapsed into Swordslash's arms.

Swordslash rubbed her back. "How is it your fault?"

"We h-had this huge f-fight," sobbed Skydive. "I-I called her a j-jealous wench and n-now she p-probably thinks I h-hate her. That's why she r-ran away."

"That's ridiculous, my love," soothed Swordslash. "That can't be the reason."

"Either way, we've got to find her," said Starscream, after taking another sip of energon. "She could be in danger."

"So we'll organize a search party," Skydive declared. "We can't stop until we find her."

"I'll go let Megatron know that one of his subordinates has gone missing," Starscream offered, and stood up. "And that we will be searching for her, of course."

"Oh…how could I have said that to my own sister?" Skydive asked no one in particular, sounding miserable. "I never meant it in my spark."

…

**TO BE CONTINUED—TUNE IN SOON FOR CHAPTER 5!**

P.S. I don't know if this is canon to the show or not, but for the sake of the story, the cave lair where Fireblast used to live is on one side of Lake Michigan, with Detroit (where she is right now) right on the other side. The boat trip was the crossing of Lake Michigan.


	5. New Autobot?

Fireblast crept after the Autobots, as quietly as she could. She was beginning to feel tired—it had been a long time since she'd gotten any recharge. She would have to reveal herself to Ultra Magnus _sometime_, she knew, but she didn't quite know how she was going to do that yet, so for the time being she just tried to remain as hidden as possible.

Arcee and Blurr walked along the corridor of the Elite Guard ship, until they reached a room at the end of the hallway—so now Fireblast was alone. She found a small space where she could hide without being found, and waited there, watching. She knew better than to allow herself to drift into stasis, because she knew that if she did, the Autobots would definitely catch her and then who knows what they would do to her?

Fireblast listened to the low sounds of grown-up Autobots talking and the humming of machines. So this was what the Elite Guard ship was like. It was very different than the cave lair Megatron and the rest of the Decepticons called home, with different colors, different sounds…even different smells.

With every cycle Fireblast spent looking, listening, and smelling, she became even more tired, until finally her optics shut and she curled up right on the floor in a fitful stasis.

…

"Who is this?" Fireblast heard someone's vocal processor asking. "Who is she?"

Groggily, she opened her optics and looked around. She had two pairs of stasis cuffs on her wrists, one pair on her ankles, and a mouth cover on her mouth. Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, and Jazz the Cyber Ninja were standing above her, staring.

"I don't know, Ultra Magnus," Sentinel Prime replied. "I found her in stasis near the control room. It appears to me we have a Decepticon stowaway…no doubt she's a spy trying to steal the AllSpark. It looks like she's a Seeker, too. That's why I froze her wings and disabled her foot thrusters."

That was the first time Fireblast noticed she had two of the Elite Guard's "Wing-Freezer 5000" devices stuck onto her wingflaps, one for each wing. She remembered how her father had once described these wing-freezers as "inhumane", but they didn't have much of an impact on her, seeing as she wouldn't be doing that much flying, anyway.

And…the rocket thrusters on her feet were disabled, too? Just out of curiosity, Fireblast tried to turn one on. Just as she expected, it didn't work.

"Sentinel Prime, take the ankle stasis cuffs and the mouth cover off," Ultra Magnus ordered. "We need to take her to the control room for questioning."

Fireblast watched as Sentinel Prime unlatched the stasis cuffs on her ankles and ripped the mouth cover off her face. Then he picked her up by her wing, hard enough to hurt (now she was glad for the wing-freezers, because they numbed her wingflaps' sensor nodes), and dragged her off to the control room.

Once they got there, Fireblast was seated in a hard chair and the stasis cuffs were snapped onto her ankles again. Ultra Magnus said, "State your purpose, Seeker."

"Well, first of all, I'm not a Seeker, even though yes, I may look like one," Fireblast told him. "I will never be a Seeker."

"We don't care!" Sentinel hollered, jabbing her in the wingflap—apparently he'd forgotten that the wing-freezing devices prevented her from feeling it at all. "Just tell us why you're here!"

Time for the story—_please_ _let it work_!

Fireblast put on her best "sad face" and replied, "Well…I was so tired of living under Megatron's awful tyranny, so I ran away from home. I wanted to join you kind, gentle Autobots instead. I wanted to be one of the 'bots who fights to protect life, not destroy it."

"And just what makes you think we'll believe you?" asked Sentinel haughtily, crossing his arms.

_Oh_, _what in Primus have I gotten myself into NOW_? wondered Fireblast. Her spark was beating so fast. She had never been so terrified in her lifecycle—not even when she attempted flying.

"I thought you might not believe me," Fireblast said sadly. "Please, listen. I mean you no harm. I wish to join you. At least give me a chance?"

"Then we will test you," Ultra Magnus replied. He left the room for a few moments, then came back with a small glowing crystal.

"What is this?" asked Fireblast.

"If you can be in this room alone for ten full cycles without stealing this AllSpark fragment," the Elite Guard leader explained, unlatching Fireblast's stasis cuffs, "we will give you your chance. Sound fair?"

"Ultra Magnus, are you _insane_?" Sentinel hissed. "What are you doing?"

"Shut it down, Sentinel," Ultra Magnus replied, and took the wing-freezers off Fireblast. "If you pass the test, 'Con, we will also enable your foot thrusters."

"It doesn't matter," she replied. "I've never been able to fly, anyway. It's some kind of massive glitch in my programming, I suppose."

"You're a Decepticon who can't fly?" asked Ultra Magnus, looking shocked. "Then why do you have rocket thrusters and wingflaps?"

"Because my father is commander of the Decepticon aerial forces," Fireblast informed him sullenly. She _hated _how the first thing anyone noticed about her was her Seeker design. "So I guess I inherited the Seeker frame, but none of the ability."

"Hold on, you're _Skydive_?" If Ultra Magnus had looked shocked before, it was nothing compared to the way he looked now. "What in Primus are you talking about, then? You're one of the best of the Seekers."

"And you look…different!" Sentinel seemed confused. "So much that I didn't even recognize you!"

"Fools!" Fireblast couldn't help shouting. "I'm not Skydive! I'm Starscream's _second _daughter, Fireblast. Skydive is my older sister—and she's fine with being a Decepticon. She would never run away from home to become an Autobot like I did."

"Fireblast…" Ultra Magnus was squinting, then his optics widened. "Wait! You mean the sparkling from the wedding?"

"If that's true, then I can't remember," Fireblast snapped. Now this was getting annoying, particularly because she got confused with Skydive.

"Yes, the last time we saw you was your parents' wedding," Ultra Magnus explained, looking amazed. "That was so many stellar cycles ago! You…you look a lot older now."

"Can we please just do the test?" asked Fireblast.

Ultra Magnus nodded, set the AllSpark fragment down on the floor next to the chair where the prisoner was seated, and he and the other two Elite Guard members left the room.

Meanwhile, Fireblast was thinking. She wasn't in stasis lock any more—she was completely free. She most certainly _could _steal this AllSpark fragment—but that wouldn't be wise at all. The most important thing was to pass this test and stay on the Elite Guard ship, at least for now, so…

The ten cycles passed without Fireblast laying a servo on the AllSpark.

Ultra Magnus, Sentinel, and Jazz rushed back in. Ultra Magnus helped Fireblast out of the chair and shook her servo slowly. "I can't believe it, Decepticon, but you actually passed the test. And I am a 'bot of my word, so…you can stay with us Autobots for the time being, if you really have nowhere else to go."

"I don't," Fireblast replied quietly. "Thank you."

…

"Now, come to the science lab," Sentinel was saying, as he pulled Fireblast by her wingflap. "If you're gonna stay you're gonna work. So clean up any messes you see. Oh and…you'll be needing some of these."

Without hesitation he slapped four red Autobot insignias on both sides of both her wings, right on top of the Decepticon insignias.

"I already have the Decepticon insignia though," Fireblast told him nervously.

"Well, there _are _no Decepticons on the Elite Guard ship, so you wear those stickers or you will be back at the cave lair," Sentinel replied. "Now get busy."

Feeling apprehensive, Fireblast clutched her cleaning rag in one servo, the disinfectant spray in the other. _I ran away from home just to become a maintenance_-_bot_? she was thinking as she stepped into the science lab of the Elite Guard ship.

The lab was enormous, with test tubes, microscopes (not counting Perceptor…obviously), and all kinds of other scientific devices she couldn't even _name_, all throughout the room. And she was alone in here? She shrugged and saw a minor oil spill on one of the lab tables and went to clean it up.

"Oh, that's my mess, I'll clean it up." Fireblast heard a young male voice say. She looked down to see a white game console quickly turn itself into a mech who looked to be about her age; he also seemed very nervous. In robot mode he was rather small, about as tall as she was, and mostly white, with a few blue stripes. He had shiny square glasses and a tentative, almost shy smile on his faceplates. Everything about him looked nerdy.

"It's okay, I'm just the maintenance-bot," said Fireblast, holding up her cleaning rag.

"Wha—oh, you know, I haven't seen you around here before," he said, looking even _more _nervous. "A-Are you new or something?"

"I guess you could say that," Fireblast told him, shrugging.

The mech looked at Fireblast's Autobot stickers confusedly. "So…so you're an Autobot? I mean…no offense…but you don't really look like one. You kind of look like a Seeker, actually."

"How _dare _you say that!" Fireblast shrieked, before she could stop herself. That _proved _it! Even this nerdy game console noticed her Seeker frame before anything else! She dropped the cleaning rag and the disinfectant spray on a lab table and ran over to a corner of the room. Tentatively, the nerd-bot touched her shoulder, and she looked up, tears shimmering in her optics.

"Hey, I-I'm sorry," he told her, sounding confused—and genuinely remorseful. "You're right. Even if you look like a Decepticon that doesn't mean you are one. I mean, the Jettwins are Autobots, and they can fly, right?"

Not even bothering to ask who in Primus the Jettwins were, Fireblast simply shrugged the nerd-bot's servo off her shoulder. In a quavering voice (right now, she was trying so hard not to cry), she told him, "I never said I wasn't a Decepticon. I said I wasn't a Seeker. There's a difference."

"But…but…you're wearing Autobot stickers!" The young mech was looking increasingly nervous, especially since he'd just found out that the maintenance-bot _was_, in fact, a Decepticon.

"_Yes_, which that huge-chinned Autobot pasted on top of my Decepticon insignias," replied Fireblast. "They're right underneath."

"If you're a Decepticon, what are you doing here?" the nerd-bot asked, looking terrified.

"I want to be an Autobot," replied Fireblast. Why not tell this nerd-bot the story too?

"_Really_? You _do_?"

The nerd-bot was staring at her with such wide optics. Fireblast felt guilt tearing at her spark—and upset, hurt, loneliness, and so many other emotions she couldn't name. Before she could stop herself, she said, "No, not really. That's just what I told the others."

"But then…why are you really here?" asked the nerd-bot.

"It's just…" Fireblast sighed. She decided she needed _someone _to tell her true story to, and this Autobot had never wronged her. "Promise you won't tell?"

"Promise!"

"I ran away from home because my father is the commander of the Decepticon aerial forces," Fireblast told him, "and even though he never said it, I knew he was disappointed that _I _didn't want to be a Seeker, too."

"Oh." The nerd-bot sounded sad now as he sat down next to his companion. "That's terrible."

Fireblast shrugged. "They wouldn't want me anyway. I can't do _anything _right. I was surprised Megatron even agreed to give me the Branding Ceremony—guess I was getting a little old to go without it."

"Branding sounds like it hurts," said the young mech. "Also, you do know it damages the wires in your wings for good…right?"

"It does hurt, and yes, I know that a scalding-hot branding iron can harm one of the most sensitive parts of my body if pressed long enough to leave a stamp," Fireblast told him. "But it's both ceremonial and cultural and the tradition has been around for centuries, too."

"Wow." Now the nerd-bot's mouth was open in shock.

"Not that my Ceremony went so well." Fireblast sighed. "I don't have any discernable skills. I can't even fly because I always get so nervous. And keep in mind, flying is _instinctive_, which means it doesn't need to be taught—and yet I _still _can't manage to do it right."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that," said the nerd-bot. "But you are not alone. I ran away from home because my true calling is science, and yet if I had stayed at home I would have had to become an energon farmer, not a scientist, like I want to be. My parents always used to say, 'Get out of the science lab! Go to a party and get drunk, interface with someone you don't know, commit a crime, we don't care, _just do something_!' They were always telling me to leave the science lab at my school, but the science lab was really the only thing I liked about Autobot School.

"I was still in school when I left," he continued, "and all school was for me was being shoved into lockers, tied to flagpoles, beaten up by the mechs who turn into muscle cars and trucks, et cetera. Horrible! Someday, I will get my revenge and they will rue the solar cycles they put me through all that abuse. Those idiotic jerks always do."

"Wow." Fireblast couldn't help but be a little impressed. "Is this your lab, then?"

"No, it's Percy's," the nerd-bot told her. "He just lets me use it because I'm his intern."

"Who's Percy?"

"Perceptor," he explained. "You know, the lead scientist of the Autobots. He took me under his wing, so to speak, when I ran away from home and had nowhere to go. He hates that nickname—you know, Percy—but I call him that anyway."

"I see," said Fireblast, standing up. "Anyway, speaking of, I didn't catch _your_ name. What is it?"

"Microdigit," he replied, and he stood up too. "It's the name I gave myself once I started training in the sciences. I thought it sounded cool."

"My name's Fireblast," she told him, and reached out one servo in greeting. Microdigit looked even more nervous but shook anyway.

Microdigit looked innocent and terrified, but Fireblast was now feeling unusually flirtatious.

"What's the matter, nerd-bot?" she asked, running one finger down his chestplate. "Scared of a sexy Decepticon femme?"

"Well…this is the longest conversation I've ever had with one," Microdigit told her. He was almost visibly trembling now, and blushing, too. Fireblast had never seen such blatant nerdiness in her lifecycle, but the nerd-bot seemed nice, at least, not to mention smart. The Decepticon femme looked around the lab and noticed some test tubes lying out, along with some notes and mysterious-looking potions.

"What were you working on?" asked Fireblast.

"Right now, Percy and I are working on coming up with the cure for a robo-virus that's spreading like wildfire all over Cybertron and taking thousands of millions of innocent denizens offline," Microdigit informed her. "It can be spread just by talking or touching or—well, basically any kind of contact with someone who has it. During my experiments I have found out what causes the virus, but I can't get rid of it; it's…it's _multiplying_, almost. It's almost as contagious and deadly as that blasted Cybertronian plague."

"You found out what's causing the virus?" Fireblast smiled. "I'm…I'm impressed. You seem like a really smart young nerd-bot."

The game console smiled and blushed even more. "Well, thank you, but femmes where I come from aren't interested in nerds like me. They like the kind who turn into things like muscle cars or trucks and are basically huge jerks with scrap metal where their CPUs should be, not nerdy scientist wannabes who turn into game consoles. As long as a femme has a boyfriend who's handsome and popular, she's good. Many times a femme back at school would _help _her boyfriend shove me into his locker, so I was unable to escape."

Fireblast sighed. "Some 'bots are just so cruel. I mean…look at you! You're so accomplished and nice and smart. They shouldn't abuse you like that."

"I guess they didn't care," said Microdigit matter-of-factly.

"Well, I care," whispered Fireblast, in her "seductive" voice. She enjoyed flirting with him in this way, especially because it seemed to terrify him. Obviously, he wasn't quite as smooth with the femmes as he was with the sciences.

"You—you do?" he asked shyly.

Fireblast quickly changed back to normal and told him sincerely, "Yeah, I think your science is fascinating! It's great that you're trying to find the cure for something that is now a death sentence. I hate that you get to be a cool intern for a scientist and I just have to be the maintenance-bot."

"Well, you can always help me, if you want," Microdigit told her, picking up a test tube. "I mean…often I pull all-nighters and I don't notice I've drifted off into stasis until I awaken the next solar cycle with a test tube stuck to my faceplates, but, well…"

"That would be great," Fireblast replied. "I would love to help you experiment. That sounds really interesting, actually."

"Then—then you can any time!" Now the nerdy game console looked very excited.

"Why?"

"Because!" Microdigit carefully (yet enthusiastically) handed the test tube to her. "You are a rare species of femmes that must be protected. Now let's get started, shall we?"


	6. An Evening in the Science Lab

"I don't know how I could have allowed this to happen," Skydive said for about the millionth time.

"My love, it's not your fault," Swordslash told her. He was using his sword to hack through the undergrowth surrounding the cave lair as they looked for the runaway Fireblast—of course, she wasn't there, but they didn't know that.

"It _is _my fault," Skydive insisted, sounding like she was going to cry. "We had that huge fight before she left—you were there. I called her a jealous wench, don't you remember? I was out of line when I said that. I never meant it. How could I have said that to my own sister?"

"She's got to be somewhere," Swordslash replied, grunting as he flung his sword at a particularly thick branch and fiercely split it in two. "We just have to keep looking. She needs that more than your worried processor."

Skydive shot a laser at some undergrowth nearer to her and Swordslash helped her step through. When they reached the edge of the trees they realized they were at the shore of Lake Michigan, with Detroit on the other side—and as of yet, they hadn't seen a single sign of Fireblast.

"If only…" Skydive felt hot tears stinging her optics as she told her husband-to-be, "If only I could hold her close one more time—and tell her how much I love her—I could never ask for a better sister than Fireblast. Why did she have to leave?"

"I don't know, okay?" Swordslash put his sword away and wrapped Skydive up into his arms. "Please don't cry, my love. We will find her, no matter how far away she is."

"Then let's go." Skydive's voice was determined as she turned herself into a jet plane and flew across the water, with Swordslash, in helicopter mode, following closely after her.

…

"What…what are you doing?" asked Microdigit, quietly approaching his new colleague.

"Just doing some experimenting," Fireblast replied nonchalantly. She reached for a chemical that was sitting by her test tube and poured it into her concoction, watching carefully to see what its effect would be. "This is—this is called chemistry, isn't it?"

"Yes." Microdigit smiled. "I'm glad you enjoy it as much as I do."

"Look at this potion I made," said Fireblast, pouring her concoction into a small cup. "See…it doesn't do anything, does it?"

"I don't think so," the nerd-bot replied, watching interestedly.

"Well, look what I got it to do." Fireblast took the active ingredient out again and poured it in, setting off a small explosion.

_Impressive_, thought Microdigit, and he said, "You know, you seem pretty intelligent. If you don't mind me asking, what did you get on the DAT?"

"I never took it," Fireblast told him airily. "Decepticons only have to take the Decepticon Aptitude Test if we go to college—if I went to college, I would need to take it to graduate, but I don't plan on going to college."

Microdigit looked shocked. "Elite Guard law says that _every _Autobot is required to take the Autobot Aptitude Test." And then, a little proudly, "I am currently in the top 1% in the Science section, top 10% in Math, and top 30% in Reading."

"Is the AAT as hard as they say it is?"

"It was a joke," Microdigit told her, shaking his head.

"Have you ever considered the fact that it was easy for you because you're so smart?" Fireblast asked, teasingly brushing one servo against his cheek.

Microdigit tensed up at the feeling of her fingers softly touching his faceplates. It felt sort of…well…_hot_. Fiery, even. For want of a better word, that is. _Guess that_'_s why I only got top 30_% _in Reading_…_I KNEW I should have studied more_…

Meanwhile, Fireblast was thinking, _Is it just me or is he_…_BLUSHING_?

Feeling a little mischievous (not to mention flirtatious), Fireblast gently took the nerd-bot's servo in hers. "What's the matter, cutie? You okay?"

"Um…yes…" Microdigit was blushing even more now. _Did she just call me _'_cutie_'?

Fireblast was still holding his servo, inducing a…very strange feeling he didn't quite understand. This young femme had only been on the ship for a couple solar cycles, not even a week, but recently, whenever one of those black-and-green wingflaps softly brushed against his shoulder as they worked at the lab table together, or when she held his servo, or when their optics met, or even when she smiled…

The nerd-bot shook his head. What was going _on _here? The two of them talked about things he was familiar with, like their experiments, which were going well—she was good at science, and she seemed to love it—or that nasty virus still wreaking havoc on Cybertron, or the AAT and the DAT…but when she acted like this, touching him and saying these _not _normal things…well, that was something he wasn't so familiar with. _For now_, Microdigit thought, _I prefer to stay with my lab work_.

"Okay, so…how did you manage to do that?" asked Microdigit, trying to bring the subject back to solid ground.

"Do what?"

"Cause this mini-explosion," Microdigit clarified, pointing to Fireblast's potion.

"Oh," she replied. "Well, all I had to do was experiment with certain chemicals—mostly it was just the active ingredient I was working with—but basically, I just had to observe the way they reacted with each other to—"

"Do you like doing this?" he asked, cutting her off.

"Yeah, I do," Fireblast told him sincerely. "I've never felt this alive since…since ever. If I manage to make a new potion I feel like I'm actually…you know…worth something."

"Of course you're worth something." Microdigit picked up a test tube and looked through it, feeling confused again. "Who told you otherwise?"

"Nobody, but…" Fireblast hung her head and sighed. "Trust me; I don't fit in at all where I come from. Here, I feel like I _do_ fit in."

Fireblast closed her optics, remembering her old life. All the experiences were still vivid in her memory. Skydive always showing off…Megatron ignoring her…the feeling of being left out and even hated…the humiliating way she always dropped out of the air and crashed into trees when practicing her flying…of course, it was physically painful to crash into things, but Fireblast was always much more concerned with her pride.

"Not that I know the Decepticons very well, but…" Microdigit shrugged. "Maybe they _do _appreciate you, and just, you know, have a really odd way of showing it."

"I don't think so." Fireblast shook her head—that _couldn_'_t _be true. It _was_ nice of this mech to try to cheer her up though. She smiled a little and rubbed his shoulder. "Thanks anyway, Microdigit."

_Wha_—? Microdigit tried to bring himself back to the present situation, but he was feeling a little short of breath. There was just something about her that he couldn't figure out. Why did his name sound so…wonderful when she said it? Whenever Ultra Magnus or Jazz or Sentinel said his name it didn't sound special. Why did he feel this strange way whenever he was around her?

Whatever "this strange way" meant.

Fireblast was still smiling at him and—wow…she really was pretty when she smiled. Beautiful! Of course, there were plenty of femmes in his old school who were beautiful, but…she was…_different_, somehow. Those femmes had smiles that implied, "_Look at me_, _I_'_m so great_, _worship me_". That kind of smile. Fireblast's smile was just…well…a good smile. And unlike most of the femmes at Microdigit's school, Fireblast actually had a CPU that was fully functional, which was what he liked best about her.

"So…do you want to finish with our work?" he asked, feeling more than a little uncomfortable.

"Yes, of course," she replied, in her normal voice again.

Feeling relieved, Microdigit grabbed a test tube and some of Fireblast's potion. "I want to experiment with this more! It's ingenious!"

For maybe fifteen cycles, the two of them enthusiastically blended chemicals together, using Fireblast's potion. Finally, Fireblast set the glass containing her potion down and yawned.

"It's getting a little late," she said. "If we're going to make any real discoveries, we need our stasis. Why don't we call it a solar cycle?"

"Oh…um…okay," Microdigit replied. "You're right."

"I look forward to the morning," whispered Fireblast.

At this moment, she wasn't sure if she was just playing or if she was actually attracted to him a little, since there was nothing more annoying than dating a mech who was stupid. Or mean. Microdigit was awkward, yes, but he was nice enough, and very smart, which was something Fireblast looked for in a mech.

Starscream (who had graduated from some university in Crystal City) sometimes talked about the Decepticon Aptitude Test, which he'd had to take to graduate. Apparently, it was far from easy. If Microdigit thought the DAT's Autobot counterpart, the AAT, was a "joke", then how dumb could he _really _be?

And not to mention…Fireblast had noticed long ago that Microdigit panicked when she flirted with him like this, and to be honest, she found it kind of cute. He was just so unbelievably innocent.

And this evening was no exception—in fact, Microdigit was panicking more than ever as his colleague grasped one of his servos again, with that teasing smile still on her lips. Even worse, she touched his head then moved her fingers down to his shoulders, stroking gently…he tried to ignore the odd feeling he always got in his lower regions whenever she acted this way, but that was getting more difficult by the second. _Oh_, _why does it have to be this way_? _I probably look so stupid to her_!

"I-I look forward to the morning, too," Microdigit told her, wincing at how his voice shook.

"Goodnight, then." Fireblast smiled again and squeezed Microdigit's servo once more before she headed off to her room (for now, her room was actually the guest room).

Once she climbed into her bed she smiled and closed her optics. Microdigit really wasn't that bad a guy. He was sweet, gentle, smart. Fireblast realized, as she snuggled into her pillow and closed her optics, that she had been telling the truth when she said she was looking forward to tomorrow.

…

Microdigit was still in the lab over a megacycle after Fireblast left, with the overhead light turned off. He was _trying _to focus on his work, but he couldn't. He couldn't get that beautiful smile out of his CPU. And even though she had left so long ago, he could still feel the hot touch of those sharp Seeker fingers on his body.

What did she mean by all this, anyway? Were femmes _always _this difficult? When she was acting in this strange way…what was she trying to accomplish? Was there some kind of career benefit?

Either way, Microdigit knew that tonight, whether he fell into stasis in the lab or not, he would dream of Fireblast, just like he always did.

"Microdigit?" somebody asked, flicking the light on; the nerd-bot jumped, but then he realized it was just Perceptor again.

"It's almost one in the morning, my friend," Percy said, walking over to his intern. "You need your stasis."

"I-I'm not…not tired!" Microdigit cried, even though yes, he _was _very tired, so much that he accidentally knocked his arm into what was left of Fireblast's potion, spilling it all over the floor.

"You must try to be less clumsy, Microdigit," Percy said, not in a mean way, but more like an exasperated way as he grabbed a tissue and bent down to clean up the mess.

_CLUMSY_? What would Fireblast think if she knew he was clumsy—so clumsy that he had spilled her potion?

"I'm ruined!" hollered Microdigit. "Now what am I going to do?"

"Care to explain what you mean by that?"

"That was Fireblast's potion," Microdigit told him. "You see, earlier this solar cycle she made it and we were experimenting with it…"

"Fireblast's not going to get mad," Percy replied, tossing the tissue in the garbage can. "She knows accidents will happen."

"No, what I mean is…I don't want her to know what a klutz I am," Microdigit said helplessly.

"She's known you for all of three solar cycles," Percy reminded him. "How would she have formed any opinion of you yet?"

"I know she thinks I'm a fool," the nerd-bot replied, "because every time I bring her into the lab, you know, we have fun together, but I can tell she doesn't like me. All she does is make fun of me."

"Fireblast's making fun of you?" asked Percy, looking surprised. "That doesn't sound like her."

Microdigit remembered when Fireblast had been teasing him, and how he had had literally no idea what she had been doing—and, come to think of it, he _still_ didn't completely understand it. Miserably, he recounted every bit of what had happened earlier that evening to Percy.

"I just don't know what to do!" cried Microdigit. "I mean, I know something really important happened this evening, but for the life of me I can't figure out what."

"Have you ever had a girlfriend?" asked Percy.

"Unless you count femmes helping their boyfriends cruelly shove me into lockers, no. Why?"

"Well, because I don't think she was making fun of you," said Percy. "She was just flirting with you."

"Um…what does that mean?" asked Microdigit, a little naively.

"All it means is that she's not teasing you to be mean, she's just teasing you because she likes you—that's her more subtle way of telling you. Plenty of femmes do it, and a lot of mechs too…Didn't you enjoy it?"

Microdigit remembered all the times Fireblast had been flirting with him—supposedly. Well, it was confusing, but when he recalled the way he felt when he looked into her unbelievably beautiful optics, or when she touched him in that, um, flirty way, or even when she flashed that stunning smile at him…

"Yes, of course I enjoyed it."

Microdigit didn't know much about this kind of thing, but he did know that even though flirting with his new colleague was an unfamiliar, strange feeling, it was a good feeling.

"So don't worry so much," Percy said. "Besides, if I had to bet on it, I would say she can sense how infatuated _you_ are."

"I'm…infatuated?" asked Microdigit, his faceplates heating up.

"Obviously," Percy replied. "So just go get some stasis so you can work on the cure for that virus tomorrow."

"Can't you just do it?"

"Well, I'm trying to, but I _am _Ultra Magnus's top science guy, which means I have a lot more to do than just figure out one miracle cure," Percy reminded him.

"Okay, fine, I'll go to bed," Microdigit muttered. "Goodnight, Percy."

"Don't _call_ me that!" yelled Perceptor, which is what he did anytime anyone called him that nickname, but Microdigit just laughed and went on to bed.


	7. Worth the Risk

_The next evening_…

"Microdigit?" Ultra Magnus called through the door of the science lab. "Come out of there already, you're going to make yourself ill!"

"I'll be fine, Ultra Magnus, sir!" Ever since this morning, he had been hanging around in the science lab, refusing to come out, even for meals or recharge. After all, he couldn't say he was that thirsty, and he could fall into stasis alongside all the science equipment and it would be more comfy than his bed.

"You haven't been out of the lab in nearly twelve megacycles," Ultra Magnus insisted. "What in Primus are you doing in there?"

"Experimenting!" Microdigit called out, even though this might not have been entirely true. Mostly, he was pondering. If Fireblast _really _was flirting with him, then that meant she liked him, right?

Or…not. Maybe Perceptor's theory was wrong, and she _wasn_'_t _flirting! Besides, Microdigit didn't recall her ever telling him she was single. What if she had a _boyfriend _back home? And what if the way she acted around Microdigit was purely friendly? What if she didn't care for him at all?

This wouldn't be good. Microdigit now finally knew that his strange feelings _did _have a name—hopeless infatuation (otherwise known as the "crush"). He had developed romantic feelings for Fireblast, against his will, and he had no idea what to do about it.

If only he _had_ the courage to do something about it, that is. He knew it had been done—asking a femme out, going on a date with her, having a good time…and—oh dear Primus, was he supposed to _kiss _her on the first date? He didn't even know _how_ to give a good first kiss! What if she had kissed many mechs before and was expecting too much of him?

Of course, this was assuming that she wanted him to ask her out at all.

Part of the reason Microdigit didn't want to ask her out, of course, was because she might say no. She would _probably _say no. Better safe than sorry, right? He didn't want to risk it.

Then again, though, Microdigit had risked everything when he ran away from the energon farm—if he hadn't, he never would have become an Elite Guard intern, which was a job he loved. If he risked everything again by asking out Fireblast—put everything on the line— maybe he would have a girlfriend he loved, too.

Although the only reason he was able to keep this internship was because of his specialty, science. Last time he checked, romance was _not _his specialty. Knowing him, he would probably mess EVERYTHING up.

_Fireblast_: Hello, Microdigit. How goes it?

_Microdigit_: Well, I was wondering if you would like to—GAAAHHH!

(_Microdigit trips over his own feet embarrassingly_, _thus getting cut off midsentence_. _Fireblast laughs_.)

_Fireblast_: If I would like to what?

_Microdigit_: Never mind.

Or, even _worse_, he would ask her out for real but she would say no—

_Microdigit_ (_stuttering_): Well, um, I was just wondering, if…um…you would like to go on a date with me tomorrow night?

_Fireblast_: You mean like a friendly date or a romantic date?

_Microdigit_: Erm, a romantic date.

_Fireblast_: What? I thought we were just friends! I'm going to have to turn down that offer. Thanks anyway, though.

But what if she said YES? If he didn't ask her out, then how would he know? If he didn't ask her out, he might be missing out on a relationship that could have lasted a lifetime!

But if he _did_ ask her out, then maybe she would say NO! And if she said that, his spark would probably never completely recover. After all, weapons can physically harm you, but words leave psychological wounds that will never heal.

And NOTHING was worse than having your spark broken—if you get your spark broken, there is, like, _no _medic-bot you can call. Microdigit put his servos over his faceplates and pictured the lovely Fireblast, smiling at him and telling him sparklessly that she thought he was a great friend, but nothing more than that. Great friend! Who the frag cared about that? He didn't want to be a "great friend". He wanted to be a "great boyfriend"!

"This is a load of scrap metal!" Microdigit hollered, banging his fist on the lab table, then put his head down and dissolved into bitter tears, right among the test tubes and petri dishes.

…

Fireblast was sitting at the Elite Guard ship's kitchen table and sipping some Autobot motor oil. _I think Dad is right_. _Decepticon motor oil IS better_.

Dinner was almost over, and Microdigit still hadn't shown up. Fireblast finished the last of her motor oil, then set it down on the table. "Mm…good stuff."

(Of course, Autobot motor oil _wasn_'_t _good stuff, not according to Fireblast, anyway, but she wanted to be polite.)

"Thank you," said Ultra Magnus, smiling.

"Anyway, I haven't seen Microdigit in a while…" Fireblast stood up and started to leave the kitchen table. "I better go find him. He's probably in the science lab again."

Fireblast started walking, when she felt someone gently grab her arm. She turned, and it was Ultra Magnus.

"It would be in your best interest to stay out of the science lab for now," he told her.

"Why?" asked Fireblast, confused.

"Well, he's been cooped up in there all day and we don't know what in Primus he's doing, so we figured he's best left alone," Ultra Magnus replied.

"Um…okay, whatever." Fireblast shrugged. "I'm going to go relax in my room then."

Fireblast made her way to her room (the guest room) and laid down on her bed. It was just like Microdigit to lock himself into the science lab and not come out no matter what, but she still wondered what he was doing in there.

_Probably working on the cure for that robo_-_virus_, thought Fireblast admiringly. _If anyone_'_s going to come up with the cure, it_'_s Microdigit_.

More and more, Fireblast found her thoughts wandering back to the Autobot game console. Ever since the solar cycle they met she had been teasing him flirtatiously—nothing too serious, mostly just brushing his cheek with her fingers, holding his servo, things like that…she hadn't been trying to lead him on or anything, but she hadn't really had any further intentions.

But recently, she realized she wasn't just doing it to tease—she was doing it because…well…she _liked _holding his servo. Her spark raced when she looked into his optics. Touching him gave her a strange sensation in her oil tubes; she felt a little empty inside when their lab hours were finished.

Against her will, her sister's words ran through her CPU over and over again: _When you do find true love_, _it won_'_t be because you were looking for it_…_but it will come_.

When Fireblast had run away from home, she hadn't been looking for true love. She had been looking for a place to go where people would accept her—or at least a change of pace from the Decepticon lair. And yet…

After all those solar cycles in the science lab…working together…having fun…flirting away…Fireblast was now feeling something totally different and totally new, and she knew what that feeling was.

Now, even though she didn't quite know how she was going to do this, she needed to make sure Microdigit felt the same way.

Oh, if she only knew.

…

Microdigit normally didn't cry—hadn't really done it since he was a sparkling—but he was still sobbing, face-down, on the lab table, lost in confusion and sadness. If only he was less awkward, less nerdy, less innocent. Then maybe Fireblast would like him back. Microdigit only realized now that the art of dealing with femmes was something he had very little experience with, if any.

"Microdigit? What are you doing in here?" asked a confused-sounding voice.

Perceptor was in the lab again, standing right behind Microdigit, who replied, "C-Crying my optics out!"

"Why?"

"It d-doesn't matter!" sobbed Microdigit. "Just—just l-leave me alone, will you?"

"Well, actually I was sent to come find you by Ultra Magnus," said Perceptor. "He was starting to get worried."

"How did you even get in here?" Microdigit asked, sniffling and lifting his head up. "The door was locked."

"It's my lab," Perceptor reminded him. "I can override the codes."

"Oh…oh yeah," said the nerd-bot, feeling stupid. "I knew that."

Microdigit had been momentarily distracted from the reason for his desolation, until Perceptor asked, again, "So will you please tell me what happened?"

This brought on a fresh wave of tears as Microdigit cried, "W-Who d'you think? Fireblast!"

"You asked her out and she said no?" asked Perceptor, looking pained.

"_No_, I didn't ask her out at all!" Microdigit told him, then wept, "Sometimes I think the whole universe is against me."

"Yes…everyone feels that way." Perceptor nodded.

"What's _wrong _with me?" Microdigit howled.

"Nothing's wrong with you," Percy replied gently. "It's just that…growing up really stinks."

"T-Truest thing I-I've h-heard all s-solar cycle."

Perceptor waited for Microdigit to calm down a little, then added, "Trust me, you are not alone. My years in Autobot School were very painful, emotionally and physically."

"Yeah, you weren't popular as a sparkling, were you?" asked Microdigit.

"No," Percy told him. "No I wasn't…but anyway, that's beside the point. Why didn't you ask her out yet?"

"B-Because I'm afraid that if I do, I'll get my spark broken beyond repair."

"Do you love Fireblast?" asked Perceptor.

Microdigit nodded. "With all my spark."

"_Well_, then," said Perceptor pensively, putting one servo on his intern's shoulder, "if you love her enough, don't you think it's worth the risk?"

…

**TO BE CONTINUED—TUNE IN SOON FOR CHAPTER 8!**


	8. Kiss the Girl

**CHAPTER EIGHT IS FINALLY HERE! Sorry it took so long, I've been SO busy…anyway, in case you don't remember, this chapter starts the solar cycle right after the last chapter, at lunchtime, when Microdigit is trying to ask Fireblast on a date. Will he be able to **_**finally**_** ask out his crush? Let's find out!**

…

Microdigit had a death grip on his lunchtime oil canister, even though he felt too sick to even open it. There was Fireblast, sitting across the table, sipping Autobot motor oil—even when she was grimacing, she still looked so beautiful (most Decepticons, as Microdigit knew, didn't much care for Autobot motor oil).

This delectable Decepticon was so out of his league…if he asked her out, he would definitely get a "no" and a broken spark to go with it…but was Percy right? Was she worth the risk?

Before he could lose his nerve, Microdigit sprang up from the table, walked over to his crush, and gently touched her wing. "Um…Fireblast?"

Surprised, she turned around in her chair and said, "What?"

"Could I see you in the science lab?" he asked, hating the way his voice was quavering. His whole body was trembling; he felt like his spark chamber was going to explode. He had never been this scared in his life. Quite frankly, he would rather have faced down Megatron himself, unarmed, than attempt to charismatically ask out this femme.

"What for?"

"I want to talk about something…scientific," said Microdigit, even though he couldn't really think how romance related to science in any way (part of why romance was so confusing). They walked down the hall to the science lab, walked inside, and once they got there, Fireblast looked at Microdigit, waiting for him to say something. Microdigit opened his mouth then closed it again, trying to think of the right words to say to her.

"Well?" asked Fireblast. "What did you want to talk to me about?"

_Come on_, _Microdigit_, _be a mech_! Microdigit thought, and reached for her servo with his own trembling one. "Well, um…I was just…I was just wondering if you might want to…"

Fireblast was watching Microdigit. By now, she was pretty sure he was trying to ask her out. After all, he had been staring at her all solar cycle; he hadn't touched his breakfast _or _his lunch; and he seemed horribly nervous.

_If he IS asking me out_…Fireblast sighed and used the time Microdigit spent stuttering to formulate her response. She pictured going on a date with this mech and what it would be like to kiss him—he had most likely never kissed anyone before, so it might be a pretty awkward kiss, but then again, _she_ had never kissed anyone before, either.

Of course, she hadn't forgotten her thoughts from the night before—how she might think of him as more than a friend, and if so, shouldn't she say "yes"?

"Umm…Fireblast?" asked Microdigit, and Fireblast realized he had been silent for several cycles, waiting for a response.

"What?" she said.

"I asked, did you want to maybe, you know, go out for a barrel of oil or something tomorrow evening?" Microdigit was blushing furiously.

"Sure!" replied Fireblast. _Just as I thought_!

Microdigit's mouth dropped open in shock. "W-What?"

"I said I'll go out with you," she repeated, smiling. "What have we got to lose?"

_That night_, _in bed_…

Microdigit was staring up at the ceiling, so many emotions filling his spark. The first, of course, was happiness. FIREBLAST HAD SAID YES TO HIM! YES! That was the best thing to ever happen in the history of the universe!

The second thing, though, was…nervousness. How would he act on this date? Did she want him to kiss her? Probably—she most likely wanted a kiss, but how would he do it? Should he just close his optics and kiss? Or did she want more romance? Microdigit couldn't stress it enough—he just wasn't good at romance.

After that it was nausea. Did she want something MORE than kissing? Like…did she want him to…touch her? Not that he would mind doing that. Fireblast was beautiful, inside _and_ out, but he had never even kissed a femme before, much less allowed his servos to "roam". Or maybe…

OH DEAR PRIMUS, what if she wanted him to INTERFACE with her? He couldn't try to get between her legs yet! He wasn't ready! And besides, what if Fireblast wasn't a virgin? What if she had lost her virginity to some Decepticon who was great in bed and she was expecting Microdigit to compare to him? There was no way he could possibly do that!

Of course, he knew what 'facing _was_, since he had to take a class on it in Autobot School (so embarrassing!), but he had never learned from personal experience! And the only time he talked about it with his family was when his parents told him his main goal in terms of "mating" was to find a femme who could "produce" as many sparklings as possible.

Besides that class (and his parents' reminding him to find a mate who could give birth to as many sparklings as possible), Microdigit hadn't ever discussed 'facing with _anyone_, and he had never 'faced with anyone. In that class he took the teacher-bot said, "If you aren't sure if you're ready, then you're not ready yet."

_I am DEFINITELY not ready yet_, thought Microdigit. Besides, he knew that maybe, if he wasn't careful, he could get her pregnant. And he also knew that Autobot Law stated that if he did get her pregnant he would have to pay "sparkling support" until the sparkling was grown up. Perceptor was kind enough to pay him for the internship, but Microdigit was saving that money for college later on! And if Fireblast got pregnant, he would have to spend his intern savings on the sparkling and work his way through college, if he went at all!

But then again, the rules stated that he would have to pay "sparkling support" if he impregnated an _Autobot_. If he impregnated a _Decepticon_…well, actually, the Elite Guard would most likely just take the sparkling away and condemn both parents. And…didn't Fireblast say her father was commander-in-chief of the Decepticon aerial forces? Microdigit shuddered at the thought of what Starscream would do if he knew his daughter had been impregnated by an Autobot. Most likely, he would kill the Autobot. Microdigit didn't want his lifecycle to end that way!

_Okay_, _calm DOWN_, Microdigit told himself. _You haven_'_t even kissed her yet_, _much less _'_faced with her_.

Microdigit tried to remember what his teacher-bots had told him and the rest of the students about 'facing, but it had been a long time ago. Mostly, he had been trying to do his work just like he did with all his other classes, even though he was SO embarrassed the whole time. Almost all the other sparklings had to stay after class for "unruly conduct" (whatever that meant). Most likely, some of them were 'facing _already_!

_When a mech and a femme love each other very much_…those were a few words still in his memory core, but the teacher-bots hadn't discussed the weird feelings he got when she touched him, or how scared he became, or, well, basically anything. All they said was—mech penetrates, femme receives…but it was not that simple.

Microdigit felt _so _nervous and yet somehow…aroused. Oh no, he was pressurizing _again_. For some reason that always happened whenever he thought about things like this, or when they touched each other, or even when they were in close proximity. He wasn't familiar at _all_ with feelings like this—physical _or _emotional—and he couldn't decide if he liked them or not. Sometimes he was okay with them, and sometimes he wished they would just stop…but most of the time, he was just confused.

Then again, this _was _Fireblast he was thinking about.

…

As she hugged her pillow close, Fireblast was remembering the few times she and Skydive had discussed 'facing. Skydive was the only one she could talk to about it—not that she had ever expected a mech to ask her for it, she was just…curious, and Primus knows Swordslash and Skydive did more than recharge in the bedroom.

If truth be told, Microdigit hadn't mentioned 'facing, but now that he had asked her out, Fireblast found herself wondering about it again. What if he _did _ask her? Should she say "yes"? Of course, it was a ridiculous thought. Microdigit was scared of kissing. Fireblast almost found herself _laughing _at the thought of him asking her if she wanted to interface. Quite possibly, he didn't even know how to do it. After all, he _was _pretty innocent.

So she knew that if she ever wanted to interface with him, she would probably have to ask him. Not that she was completely sure she was ready. She tried to remember what Skydive had told her, to do it with the right mech. How could she know if Microdigit was the right mech?

Skydive had described 'facing as "the most wonderful feeling in the universe"…but Fireblast decided that _must _be wrong. Trying to 'face with Microdigit would be _extremely _awkward, especially because it was her first time, and his first time, too, most likely. And wasn't the first time supposed to be horribly painful? How could 'facing feel good if it was painful? That didn't make _any _sense at all.

Fireblast never thought she would want her sister here, but now she did. After all, by now Skydive and Swordslash had probably already had the wedding, so now Skydive was married. If she was here, or if Fireblast was back at base, Skydive could have told her what married life was like. Although a couple could spark-bond without a wedding (and weddings didn't always have spark-bonding), Fireblast knew her sister and Swordslash were going to spark-bond at their wedding, so maybe Skydive could explain that to her, too.

Even though she didn't want it, Fireblast felt the sting of hot tears leaking out of her optics. She never thought she would feel homesick—never, ever, _ever_—but at home, Skydive had always answered Fireblast's questions (like if Swordslash was her spark-mate, or how good he was in bed), and never made fun of her or acted like she was stupid. And no matter how rude Fireblast was to her, she had almost never retaliated.

_Why do I miss her_? Fireblast asked herself, feeling confused. _She probably isn_'_t searching for me at all_—_they_'_re probably on their honeymoon or something_.

Fireblast looked around the guest room and thought of Microdigit and her recent discovery of how much she loved experimenting with him in Percy's lab, and how nobody was pressuring her to learn to fly here, and how they seemed to respect her, and hey, she had just been asked out! Who cares about base?

After that she smiled to herself and thought of what the date might be like—oil with a mech she liked spending time with; maybe a kiss; probably no 'facing…it would be fun. After all, there was a reason she had run away; this was her home now, and she was going to enjoy it.

_The next evening_, _right before the date_…

Fireblast was standing in the guest room in front of her mirror, touching up and getting ready for her date; she was both nervous and excited at the same time. Since she had never been on a date before, she didn't quite know what to expect.

One thing she thought might happen was a kiss—not necessarily on the lips, even though she wouldn't mind kissing her potential boyfriend on the lips. Maybe he'd just kiss her on the forehead or the cheek or something. With all due respect, it was hard for her to imagine Microdigit kissing her lips. That was a little too bold for him, if you asked her. If he almost went offline when he asked her out, then how could he manage to initiate a romantic kiss?

Microdigit didn't know what to expect from the date either, as he tried to soothe his hyperventilating. What had he _done_? He had just asked Fireblast out, that's what he'd done, and maybe she was in love with him _now_—could it be?—but once they were finished with their date, she would see him for the fool he was!

Horrible visions of what could happen on their date ran through Microdigit's processor—what if they were talking and he ran out of things to say? What if he spilled his oil canister all over her? What if she wanted to KISS him? Of course, he found himself pressurizing just at the thought of her soft lips on his (they would be sweet as sugarcane, he _knew_), but still…let's just say it was easier fantasized about than done.

The date was to be at 6:00 P.M. sharp (since at this time of year it got dark early), and Microdigit was startled when his alarm went off, telling him it was time to go to the main monitor room to meet her (he had the alarm set for 5:30, actually, just so he wouldn't be late). He ran as fast as he could to the main monitor room, which was completely deserted.

Microdigit, still feeling nervous, sat himself down in front of the TV. Someone had left on the popular TV show _Autobot Makeover Madness_, so Microdigit just decided to watch it.

The show was just beginning. This time the makeover patient was a very ugly young mech, who was begging the makeover experts for help.

"I struggle every day with my self-confidence and appearance," he was saying. "I was hoping you could help me."

"Don't worry," said one of the makeover experts. "We're trained professionals."

"You know what they say," the other one added. "If _Autobot Makeover Madness _can't fix you, then nothing can!"

Then they laughed, and the makeover patient looked scared.

Microdigit sat through the whole program, glad to have something to distract him from his nerves. It was pretty standard—the mech got a makeover, he got more self-confidence, everything turned out happy. At the very end of the program, the makeover patient's family and friends get to see what he looks like at the end of the makeover, and that was what Microdigit was watching right now.

"Are you ready for this?" Makeover Expert No. 1 asked.

"I-I don't think so," he told her, shaking. "What if they don't like it?"

"I'm sure they will," Makeover No. 2 reassured him. "After all, you look a lot better than you did before."

"Um…I don't know if that's a compliment or not, but…okay," the makeover patient said. After taking a deep breath, he walked out onstage, where his family and friends were waiting—and then there was a loud _SSSCCCRRREEEAAAMMM_!

Microdigit jumped, startled—then he realized it was just the audience, shocked at how good the makeover patient looked now. What a good ending for the show! Microdigit started clapping, when someone tapped him on the shoulder.

"Um…are you ready for our date, Microdigit?" asked Fireblast, laughing a little. "I didn't know you were into _Autobot Makeover Madness_."

"I'm not," he told her, face flushing. "I just…I mean, somebody left it on and since I got here a little early I just decided to watch it."

"I see." Fireblast smiled and he stood up. "Did you know that's my sister's favorite TV show back at the Decepticon base?"

"Really?" Microdigit looked shocked. "You guys get Autobot channels? And you watch them?"

"Yeah, we do," Fireblast replied. "We have a huge TV that gets over 800 channels, including most of the Autobot channels. For as long as I can remember, Skydive's been hooked on _Autobot Makeover Madness_. It's her favorite, besides the Seeker channel."

"Skydive? Is that your sister's name?"

Fireblast nodded. "That's her."

"So…she's a Seeker too?" asked Microdigit. "I mean, I assumed she was, if she watches that channel, right?"

"She is, and a very good one at that," Fireblast told him shortly, feeling a little upset again. "I really don't want to talk about this, okay? My sister and I don't exactly have a good relationship."

"I'm sorry," said Microdigit. "You're lucky you get channels from both sides, though. On this ship we don't get any of the Decepticon channels, even though some of them are supposed to be pretty good."

"Oh, yeah, Megatron loves the ones with the horror movies," Fireblast replied, rolling her optics. "And there are a lot of comedies. There was this one about a group of Decepticons who get enrolled in Autobot Academy but they break all the rules—you should've seen the energon party scene…so funny."

"Energon party?" Microdigit's optics were so wide. "Those were banned by the Elite Guard long ago, especially at Autobot Academy…but I heard Megatron throws some really wild energon parties. True?"

"Absolutely true," Fireblast told him. "You should see how drunk he always gets—it's hilarious. Just make sure you don't get blasted by the cannon. His aim gets pretty off when he's wasted."

Microdigit looked shocked, and Fireblast laughed.

"So, anyway, I was hoping we could get some oil out of the refrigerator and go take a little walk around downtown Detroit," said Microdigit, nervously. "Cool?"

"Cool, except I blatantly look like a Decepticon, remember?" Fireblast replied. "I'll probably get shot at or captured or _something_."

"No, you're with me, and you've got Autobot stickers on your wings," Microdigit reminded her. "With me, you are safe."

…

The late October breeze was chilly, but Fireblast and Microdigit had both turned on their internal heating systems—similar to a car heater, but more powerful. They were both sipping Autobot motor oil, walking down the street—since they were giant robots, it was a little hard to avoid all the cars, so they tried to stay closer to the sidewalk.

"I have a surprise for you," Microdigit said mischievously.

"Really? What is it?"

"Well it wasn't easy but…" Microdigit smiled and held out a barrel of Decepticon motor oil. "Here you go. I know how much you hate Autobot motor oil."

"Wha—where did you get this?" asked Fireblast, grabbing it from him.

"I ran into that black market dealer—Swindle, I think his name is—he offered to sell me some barrels of Decepticon oil…at a modest price."

"Where did you run into him?" Fireblast looked confused as she opened the Decepticon oil canister and took a long sip, relishing the flavor. This was the real thing, all right.

"Well, actually I did something bad," Microdigit admitted, blushing. "I was out shopping for some new science equipment and I had Percy's credit card, so…"

"So you charged Decepticon oil to Percy's credit card account," Fireblast laughed. "Nice. See if he ever trusts you with his credit card again. And next time you see Swindle, know that no matter what, he'll try and sell you _something_. Basically he's an arms dealer, but not exclusively. He's the one who sold us our awesome TV."

"Hmm…Percy would definitely notice if I charged a seventy-two inch flat screen TV with surround-sound speakers and a DVD/VCR player to his credit card account," said Microdigit, smiling. "And Ultra Magnus would get pretty mad if he saw me watching the Decepticon channels."

"Too bad," Fireblast replied. "You know, you Autobots have too many rules. No energon parties, no Decepticon channels, no staying up after eleven, your oil tastes like water, you're required to take the AAT…did you know that at home, I'm allowed to stay up as late as I want, as long as I don't wake up Megatron?"

"Wow…that's crazy." Microdigit looked curiously at the Decepticon oil his potential girlfriend was holding. "Um…could I…try a little bit of that? I was always curious to see what it tastes like."

"Sure!" Fireblast handed it over. "Just don't drink it all, okay?"

Fireblast watched as Microdigit took a huge gulp of Megatron's "special mixture", then spit it out almost immediately after—he had never tried it before and was a little shocked at the taste. Fireblast, meanwhile, was laughing so hard she was crying.

"Wow…that stuff is really strong," said Microdigit, wiping off his mouth. "What does Megatron put in it?"

"I don't know, but it sure tastes better than your oil," Fireblast told him. "Don't tell Magnus I said that, though, okay?"

"No problem," Microdigit replied, smiling.

They continued down the sidewalk, avoiding cars and talking. Microdigit had gone back to drinking Autobot motor oil—Decepticon motor oil was just a bit _too _strong, if you asked him. Fireblast, of course, was drinking the Decepticon motor oil Swindle had sold to Microdigit.

Finally, once it was mostly dark out (around seven or so), the two of them sat down on the ground in front of a skyscraper to take a little rest. (Obviously, all of the benches were much too small.) Fireblast set her oil canister down, took a deep breath, and finally said, "I know we haven't known each other for long, Microdigit…but I feel like…like a special connection has been made. Do you know what I mean?"

"Um…yeah! Yeah, I know what you mean!" Microdigit nodded happily—he was so glad he had worked up the courage to ask Fireblast out. It _had _been worth it! And she was right—the more they talked, the more comfortable he got with her. She was smart and pretty, and she had an easygoing, fun-loving personality, too. All of this together made him just…drawn to her.

_Hmm_…_he_'_s staring at me again_, thought Fireblast, and she smiled. Now she knew it had been such a good idea to say "yes" to Microdigit. After all, he was such a sweet little mech, and she could tell he cared for her so much. Maybe a relationship between the two of them had some potential.

Softly, gently, Fireblast reached over and wrapped her own servo around Microdigit's. Shocked, he looked down at her servo in his, then up at her smiling face—she wanted to hold servos? Before he could lose his courage again, Microdigit gave Fireblast's servo a quick squeeze, she squeezed back, and they held servos all the way back to the ship.

…

It was pitch-black outside by the time the two were back at the ship. Microdigit and Fireblast were right outside the entrance, staring shyly into each other's optics.

"I-I had a good time tonight, Fireblast," said Microdigit, a little awkwardly.

"So did I," Fireblast replied. "I really did."

"Well, um, sweet dreams, then." Microdigit smiled, and since the date was over he thought maybe she would go off to bed, but she didn't.

_Hmm_…_I wonder if he_'_s going to kiss me or not_, Fireblast was thinking. _Maybe I should kiss him first_? _Or should I just wait for him to kiss me_? _Which would be the most romantic_?

Fireblast smiled as seductively as she could and wrapped her arms around Microdigit's neck, hinting pretty hard—kiss, KISS, _KISS_!

Microdigit watched as Fireblast's optics slowly shut but she kept her arms around his neck and it finally clicked—he was RIGHT! She _did _want him to kiss her! Now was the moment—he just had to do it before he lost his nerve. During the date he had been thinking about how he wanted to kiss her, and if she would be okay with kissing him back…but now that the time had come, he felt a little too shy.

_Don_'_t be scared_, he told himself. _You can do this_!

So he tenderly placed both servos on her shoulders, closed his optics too, drew her just a little closer, and—

Quickly, Fireblast opened her optics and sighed. _Just_ a kiss on the cheek? Microdigit was blushing a little, looking at his feet, but then he looked up and asked, "So was it…was it okay?"

"It was fine," she said, smirking. "But when you become brave enough to give a _real _kiss, let me know."


	9. Halloween Special!

**Well, folks, it's me again, just to tell you that Chapter Nine is finally up—also known as the Halloween Special! (I decided to write a Halloween Special for this story since Halloween was only a few days ago.) Enjoy!**

…

"So, I was doing a little research on the humans," Microdigit was saying, "and I learned they have this holiday in late October called Halloween."

"Halloween?" asked Fireblast. "What's that?"

"Well, it's where the humans put on costumes, then go to different humans' houses and get treats," explained Microdigit. "So I decided we should do the exact same thing—if you want to, that is."

"Oh sure!" Fireblast told him. "I'll have to watch a little more TV, though."

"I've got a great costume." Microdigit smiled, a little shyly. "You'll have to wait a few more solar cycles until Halloween night, though. It's a surprise."

"Well, I'm sure I'll love your costume." Fireblast patted him on the back then left to the TV room to monitor the human channels. Usually she didn't watch TV that much at all, since they didn't get any of the Decepticon stations, but now…well, maybe she could stand to study the humans a little more.

"Halloween Special!" the announcer human was saying. "Every year we tell a scary story that's absolutely true…just listen."

"I'm listening!" yelled Fireblast, grasping the TV.

"You might have heard of something called ghosts," the announcer continued. "If you haven't, they are poor souls caught between this world and the next—often because they have unfinished business on Earth, like never admitting their love for someone or not avenging someone's death…

"So every Halloween night," the announcer continued, "the ghosts fly all over town to wreak their horrible vengeance. Beware, for ghosts can haunt you, possess you, spy on you, and who knows what else?"

"Oh no!" cried Fireblast. "We can't go out on Halloween night! Ghosts might possess us!"

"Ghosts aren't going to possess you," said Microdigit, sitting down next to her. "That's just a stupid Halloween special. Those humans are so weird. You can dress up like a ghost if you want to."

"I'm not dressing like a stupid ghost," Fireblast snapped.

"There's something even worse, though," said the announcer, lowering his voice. "There are other beings who like to show themselves on Halloween night—like vampires. Vampires like to suck your blood. Once they do, you turn into a vampire yourself…FOREVER!"

"What's blood?" asked Fireblast.

"Well…you know how when you get cut, you leak raw energon?" explained Microdigit. "Humans do the same thing, only instead of energon it's this red liquid called blood and I guess vampires like to drink it."

"Woah, that _is _scary," said Fireblast. "You know…I sort of don't want to go trick-or-treating on Halloween night now."

"But!" cried the announcer. "There is a way to keep the vampires from getting you! All you need to do is carry a bag of garlic and they won't come near you."

"What in Primus is garlic?" asked Fireblast.

"I don't know but if it keeps the vampires away, I'm willing to find out," Microdigit replied. "I guess we could go to the store and get some."

"And I kind of want to dress up like a vampiress," added Fireblast. "The garlic—whatever it is—won't keep me away, because I'm not a _real _vampire. I don't know what they look like, but they'll probably show a picture on this TV show."`

They did—vampires had pointy teeth (for sucking blood), a cape, and apparently they liked wearing all dark clothing. That wasn't a problem for Fireblast, since her color scheme was already black and dark green. She could drape a scary vampire cape over her wings, get some fake pointy teeth, and she would instantly be a vampiress. (Of course, she would need garlic to keep the _real _vampires away from her.)

_The solar cycle before Halloween_…

"Hey guys, check out my new Halloween costume!" said Sentinel Prime (he was dressed up as a human).

"Who in Primus are you supposed to be, Sentinel?" asked Fireblast, crossing her arms.

"I'm Jay Leno," Sentinel explained. "I saw him on TV—on one of the human channels—and his chin is almost as big as mine! So I decided to make him my Halloween costume this stellar cycle! Pretty good, huh?"

"Um…sure," said Microdigit to Sentinel, and then, turning to Fireblast, "Wanna go see what the Jettwins are doing for Halloween?"

"I'm a little afraid but…okay," Fireblast replied.

Jetfire and Jetstorm were both painted red. Jetfire was wearing a sticker that said "Thing One", and Jetstorm was wearing a sticker that said "Thing Two".

"I _knew _you guys would do a group costume," said Microdigit, shaking his head. "Thing One and Thing Two? What does that mean?"

"Well, we saw this movie called 'The Cat in the Hat' on one of the human channels," Jetfire began.

"So we decided to dress up as Thing One and Thing Two!" Jetstorm finished.

"Okay, you two have fun with that," said Microdigit. "Now why don't we go see—"

"I AM THOR, GOD OF THUNDER!" they heard someone yell, and it was…Ultra Magnus.

And…he _was _dressed as Thor, God of Thunder. It was actually a fitting costume, considering he could summon lightning with the Magus Hammer.

"Erm, good costume, sir," said Fireblast. "I really like it."

"Thank you," said Ultra Magnus. "Now, Jazz's costume is from another human movie we saw earlier. Would you care to see it?"

"Um…sure," Microdigit replied, and Jazz came into the room, dressed as a human.

"My name's Shaft!" he told them happily. "It's from a movie I saw on TV called _Shaft_."

"_O_-kay, but I never _watched _that movie," said Fireblast. "I watched a show on vampires so I got some garlic to keep them away, even though I'm actually dressing up as one myself."

"You know, I don't think vampires bite robots," Ultra Magnus told her. "If they even exist at all, which I don't think they do. That was just a stupid Halloween special. You shouldn't have believed it."

"So I wasted my money on this garlic for _nothing_?" yelled Fireblast. "Those glitch-heads!"

"Either way, did you get a vampire cape and some teeth?" asked Microdigit.

"Yeah, I did," Fireblast told him. "I'm going to be _extra _scary."

_Finally_, _on Halloween night_…

"You still haven't showed me what your costume is," Fireblast told Microdigit as she tied the vampire cape around her green-and-black wings. "It's making me crazy."

"Well, since it's Halloween night, I guess I could tell you now…" Microdigit smiled and then, to Fireblast's surprise, called, "Perceptor!"

Percy was dressed as a human too, someone Fireblast had never seen before. Microdigit left the room for a few cycles and when he came back, he was dressed as a human too and he said, "Guess who we are."

"I give up."

"Percy's Jango Fett, and I'm his son, Boba Fett," Microdigit replied cheerfully. "They're characters from a series Percy and I have been watching called Star Wars—we both are totally obsessed with it so we decided to use the characters as our Halloween costumes."

"It was between that and Obiwan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker…" Percy said pensively. "And of course Microdigit wanted you to go as Mara Jade."

"Why?" asked Fireblast. "Did she do anything particularly special?"

"No, no," said Percy. "Luke just married her."

"I don't think she needed to KNOW that, _Percy_," hissed Microdigit, glaring.

"Don't CALL me that!" yelled Percy.

"Okay, _Percy_," Microdigit replied.

"Keep it up, mister, and the paid internship is off!" Percy was scowling.

"Oh, I know you'll forgive me just like you always do, Jango Fett."

"But anyway, you two decided to go with Jango Fett and Boba Fett?" Fireblast continued, still confused.

Microdigit nodded. "Good idea, right?"

Fireblast shrugged. "I guess, even though I don't watch that show so I don't really get it…I don't really understand human pop culture at all, actually. Anyway, are you all ready to go trick-or-treating?"

"_We_ are!" Thing One and Thing Two cried happily, flying into the room.

"I'm going along, just to supervise," said Ultra Magnus (Thor, God of Thunder). "I don't want any of you getting into trouble in downtown Detroit, understand?"

_Later_, _in downtown Detroit_…

Ultra Magnus, Sentinel Prime, Jazz, Percy, Microdigit, Fireblast and the Jettwins headed along the streets of downtown Detroit, carrying their trick-or-treat bags, hoping to get some loot this stellar cycle. It was the first time any of them had ever been trick-or-treating, but it wasn't that hard a concept to grasp.

Fireblast (the vampiress) shyly grabbed Boba Fett's servo as they walked up to the first house. He audibly gasped in surprise but since Fireblast didn't let go, he just squeezed a little and held on. Fireblast looked over, and he was looking down at the ground, blushing furiously. _Will he ever stop being so shy_? she found herself wondering. Since he probably wouldn't, she just squeezed back and they continued up the walk…together.

Meanwhile, Microdigit was thinking, _Fireblast held my servo_! _She LIKES me_! Of course, he was incredibly nervous, and he wondered if she remembered how he had gotten in a huge fight with Percy about how she should dress up as Star Wars character Mara Jade (it was true), but he was enjoying the moment at the same time. And there were no (real) vampires yet!

"Trick or treat!" said Fireblast and Microdigit.

"Why, if it isn't some more robots!" said the woman at the door. "Why don't you take some candy, my dears?"

"Thank you," they said, and reached into the candy bowl…even though technically, robots can't eat candy. (The point is to have fun, right?) Boba Fett and the vampiress were just walking back from the house when Fireblast saw something that almost made her spark stop beating.

There was Megatron with his crew, all dressed up for Halloween and trick-or-treating too.

"Hide!" Fireblast squealed, grabbing Microdigit's servo and dragging him into a rosebush. He yelled out in shock, but she paid no heed.

"What are we doing in a rosebush?" asked Microdigit. "Did you see a vampire? I _told _you leaving the garlic on the ship was a bad idea."

"No, of course I didn't see a vampire, Boba Fett," Fireblast snapped. "I saw something _worse_. Megatron is trick-or-treating with the Decepticons! If he sees me, I'll be brought back for sure and he'll probably think of a terribly creative punishment for me. Nope, it won't be just Monitor Duty _this _time!"

The two of them stuck their heads out of the rosebush to spy on Megatron's team. It was a little surprising at first that ol' Megsy would dress up, but then again, it was Halloween, so he kind of _had _to dress up, right? He was dressed as a purple T-Rex, and Lugnut was following close behind, dressed as—wait a minute—a yellow rubber ducky?

"Okay, _why _is Lugnut dressed as a yellow rubber ducky?" asked Fireblast incredulously. "I mean, I know he'll do anything—and I mean _anything_—for Megatron…but seriously…"

"Don't ask me," said Microdigit. "I hardly even know who any of these Decepticons _are_."

"I want to see what everybody else is dressed up as, especially my sister," said Fireblast, pushing Boba Fett's head down. "So keep down or they'll see you."

"Anyway, Starscream, I still like my idea better," Megatron was saying.

"Your idea was the dumbest idea I've ever heard," Starscream snapped back. "I am so _not _dressing up as a jester while you dress up as a king. NO way. I might be second-in-command but I'm not your fragging slave."

"I think _your _idea is stupid," Megatron told him. "I still don't understand what you all are supposed to be."

"We're being the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, you glitch-head," Starscream told him.

"Don't you call me a glitch-head, Starscream, unless you would like some special Halloween aft-kicking," Megatron growled back. "You're already on strike zero, you know."

"_What _is my dad dressing up as?" asked Fireblast.

"OHHHH, they're dressing up as the Power Rangers, I get it!" Microdigit laughed. "That's why Starscream is painted white, because the white Power Ranger is the leader, starting in Season Two of Mighty Morphin Power Rangers."

"That's _so _embarrassing," Fireblast muttered. "And…it looks like Slipstream is dressing up as the pink one, my sister Skydive is dressing up as the yellow one…and ALL the other Seekers are being Power Rangers too."

"What about your mom?" asked Microdigit.

"She's the one dressed like…oh dear Primus, a singer from last century?" Fireblast shook her head. "Well, I should have known she'd do something having to do with music. And it looks like my sparkling-brother is dressed like…a bat? Okay then…"

Spaceflower was carrying the sparkling, whose miniature wings were covered in black cloth, made to resemble bat wings. It actually looked kind of cute, but he was an adorable sparkling, after all.

"Who's that mech dressed up like Jason Voorhees?" whispered Microdigit.

"Um…I don't know who Jason Voorhees is, but you're pointing to Skydive's husband, also known as Swordslash," Fireblast told him. "See the giant sword? He's a Decepticon trooper and tough as nails. They got married while I was gone."

"Jason Voorhees is from this movie called _Friday the Thirteenth_," Microdigit explained. "I guess Swordslash wanted to copy his costume…but why is he feeding Skydive candied cyberberries?"

"Oh, you have _got _to be kidding me." Fireblast scowled. "Skydive is literally _addicted _to candied cyberberries. They're her weakness. It's actually kind of pathetic when you get right down to it."

"What about that one right next to the rubber ducky?" Microdigit continued. "The one with the three faces? I can never remember his name."

"That's just my uncle Blitzwing," Fireblast replied nonchalantly. "Looks like he has three costumes going on…you watch more TV than I do, so maybe you can—"

"Hey, yeah, I definitely recognize him!" Microdigit said happily. (Right now, Blitzwing had his "Hothead" face on.) "He's dressed as T-800 from a movie I saw recently, _Terminator_, played by someone named Arnold Schwarzenegger, I think."

"Whatever." Fireblast shrugged. "Uh-oh, his face just switched. That's his Icy face, the only face that's capable of being calm."

"I know that costume, too." Microdigit was laughing by now. "He's dressed as someone named Colonel Wilhelm Klink, from a show called _Hogan_'_s Heroes_. Wow, not everybody can wear more than one costume at once!"

"My uncle Blitzwing is crazy, you know," Fireblast reminded Microdigit matter-of-factly. "I don't care how good his costume is, it's true. Besides, I don't watch any of those human TV shows—oh joy, looks like Random's back. Who's _he_ dressed as?"

"That one's easy," Microdigit replied. "He's dressed as the Joker from the Batman series."

"I guess Blitzwing would have to have a different costume for all three of his faces," said Fireblast, shrugging.

"Blitzwing seems like an interesting companion," Microdigit commented thoughtfully. "I'd like to meet him someday."

"Trust me, you _don_'_t _want to meet him." Fireblast stuck out one servo and shook her head.

"Who's the mech dressed as the reindeer?" asked Microdigit, sounding incredulous.

"That's Shockwave," Fireblast giggled. "He looks like a reindeer anyway, so I guess that's why he dressed up like one for Halloween!"

"You're right," said Microdigit. "With those antlers, he _does _look like a reindeer."

"Well, that's everyone…" Fireblast was still spying. "Just our luck that the Decepticons would go trick-or-treating _right here_, _right now_. That was a close call."

They watched as the "Power Rangers" (or, the Seekers) went to the house where they had just been. The woman said, "Why, some Power Rangers? I love it!"

"Don't forget the purple T-Rex," said Megatron.

"And the yellow rubber ducky," added Lugnut.

"Why, how darling!" said the woman. "I think I'll give you extra candy!"

"Robots don't eat candy, you know," Megatron reminded her.

"Just go with it, dinosaur," Starscream muttered.

"You're just jealous, like usual," Megatron replied. "You're jealous that my costume is so much better than your stupid Power Ranger costume."

"_What_?" yelled Starscream. "I'll have you know I am not jealous and was NEVER jealous of you…ever!"

"Now I see where Ramjet got his lying skills…"

"I never lie!" Ramjet said.

"Would you _please _stop fighting for _one _solar cycle?" asked Spaceflower, sounding exasperated. "I know you hate each other and all but…come on, this is Halloween! You don't want to ruin it for everyone else, do you?"

"I hate you, Starscream," said Megatron.

"I hate you more," Starscream said back.

"I SAID STOP IT ALREADY!" hollered Spaceflower. "Are you two deaf?"

"Stop fighting!" cried Skywarp, and he started sobbing. "Fighting is scary!"

"Whoever that one is, he is unfit to be a Power Ranger," Microdigit said sadly.

"That's just Skywarp," Fireblast told him. "He's literally scared of _everything_."

"Halloween must be pretty hard on him, then," Microdigit observed.

Through his tears, poor Skywarp screamed again. They were at another house with VERY scary Halloween decorations…what a terrible holiday this was!

"Don't forget what we saw on the news last night, Skywarp," said Thundercracker. "Tonight is when the vampires _and _the ghosts like to visit. And remember, they especially like to feast on Seekers."

"They _do_?" Skywarp whimpered, trembling.

"Of course!" Thundercracker grinned wickedly. "And don't forget the gorillas…"

"NOT GORILLAS!" Skywarp screeched, making both Microdigit and Fireblast jump, and he burst into tears all over again.

"What in Primus was _that_?" asked Microdigit.

"Skywarp has this stupid phobia of gorillas," Fireblast replied, rolling her optics. "Don't ask me why. It's like he thinks one's hiding in our lair ready to devour him or something. It's really weird."

"I hate Halloween," Skywarp was saying tearfully. "All this candy is going to make me feel bloated! And the gorillas will eat me! And the vampires will bite me! And the ghosts will possess me! And I…"

_CLUNK_!

"Yep…" Fireblast whispered. "Skywarp fainted out of fear."

"What a wimp," said Thundercracker. "Of course there are no gorillas."

"I wish you would stop messing with Skywarp, Thundercracker," said Starscream, with an irritated look on his face. "Now I have to carry him until he wakes up. And you know I hate doing that."

"Nothing doing, pal," Thundercracker replied haughtily. "Messing with Skywarp is fun. He believes every single thing I tell him. It's hilarious!"

"Then maybe YOU should carry him!" Starscream yelled.

"Why, because you're too weak?" asked Thundercracker. "I _knew _you should've let me be the leader of the Power Rangers for our Halloween costume."

"OVER MY OFFLINE BODY!" hollered Starscream.

"Obviously you are too defected to be Tommy," Thundercracker said.

"Can we _please _just leave?" asked Spaceflower. "I'll carry Skywarp, if it will make you two stop fighting."

"That's not what they're fighting over, but okay, let's go to the next neighborhood," said Megatron, looking harried. "Come along, Rubber Ducky."

"Yes, my liege!" said Lugnut happily.

"You suck, Starscream," whispered Thundercracker.

"Shut up," Starscream whispered back, and with that, the Decepticons were gone.

Fireblast jumped out of the rosebush, sighing in relief. "Oh, thank Primus. I thought I was a goner."

"I liked the Power Rangers idea, though," said Microdigit. "Anyway, we should probably—"

"HEY, YOU ROBOTS!" some old man hollered. "GET AWAY FROM MY ROSEBUSH! I HAVE HEDGE CLIPPERS AND I'M NOT AFRAID TO USE THEM!"

"Right away, sir!" Fireblast replied nervously. She grabbed Boba Fett's servo again and the two of them ran until they found the rest of the Elite Guard waiting by the curb.

"Where were you two?" asked Ultra Magnus. "We were looking all over."

"We were hiding from Decepticons," Microdigit explained.

"_Megatron_ was out trick-or-treating?" asked Percy, looking shocked.

"Yeah, Percy, you're lucky we aren't offline," Fireblast replied.

"DON'T CALL ME PERCY!" Percy hollered. "I _hate _that nickname!"

"Please, will everyone just calm down?" said Ultra Magnus. "The point is that they are safe."

…

Many houses later, all of the Elite Guard members had filled up their trick-or-treat bags so heavy that they had to keep switching them from servo to servo. It was pitch-black out, and finally, Ultra Magnus decreed that they best be heading back to the ship.

"I hope we don't run into Megatron again on the way back," said Fireblast, feeling scared again, and Microdigit shyly clutched her servo.

"Are you afraid you'll get captured or killed?" asked Ultra Magnus.

"Well, I ran away from home…so I figured if they found me here, they would bring me right back, and I don't even want to think about what would happen if they did," Fireblast explained. "Because I just want to stay here with you."

"Glad to hear it," said Microdigit. "I'm happy to have you in my science lab."

"You mean _my _science lab, Boba Fett?" asked Percy flatly.

"Okay, Jango Fett, _your _science lab," Microdigit muttered. "But still, I'm perfectly happy to let her use it to experiment."

Percy sighed audibly, but didn't say anything more.

The Elite Guard walked in silence back to the ship—Fireblast was about to go inside with the others when Microdigit grabbed her arm.

"What is it?" she asked, looking startled.

Microdigit cleared his throat. This was it. All the time they had been walking home, he had been thinking that most likely, his Halloween alter-ego (Boba Fett) would be courageous enough to kiss his girlfriend. Right? And Fireblast wasn't Microdigit's girlfriend just yet, but if he didn't kiss her, then she never would be.

And he was going to kiss her, tonight. On the LIPS. No matter HOW nervous he was.

Fireblast was thinking, _I knew it_. _He_'_s going to try and kiss me_. _FINALLY_!

"I just wanted to say that, um, I had a really fun time tonight," Microdigit said nervously. "I hope we can go out again soon."

"Go out where?" Fireblast whispered, stroking his faceplates.

"Oh, I-I don't know…" Microdigit was getting more panicked by the second. "Wherever you want. I don't care."

"Maybe I will and maybe I won't," Fireblast teased, moving her servos a little lower down his body—not too low, just chestplate area, basically. "It all depends…"

"Depends on what?" asked Microdigit.

"Why, on how good a kisser you are, of course," Fireblast replied, placing her servos on his shoulders. She was _through _messing around—for now, anyway.

"Well, I must warn you, I'm not very…experienced…"

"Neither am I," Fireblast told him, grinning wickedly—and then, lowering her voice, "So I guess we will just have to help each other."

"You…you really are beautiful, Fireblast," Microdigit whispered, almost unknowingly.

"Just shut up, sucker," Fireblast cooed. "Shut up and kiss."

Microdigit's optics grew wide in shock at first, but then he gently closed them, and finally obliged. Softly, passionately, Fireblast took the young mech into her arms and pressed her lips against his.

_I should_'_ve known I_'_d be the one initiating it_, she thought to herself. _And I can tell he_'_s never kissed anyone before_…

The only thought racing through Microdigit's CPU was—_IT_'_S HAPPENING_! _IT_'_S FINALLY HAPPENING_! _I_'_M FINALLY BEING KISSED_!

It was true that Microdigit was inexperienced—but Fireblast realized she couldn't have asked for a more heartfelt and meaningful kiss. She grasped his faceplates and continued the kiss, optics still shut (which made it all the more romantic). Shy as he was, Microdigit's servos were still on Fireblast's shoulders, but Fireblast subtly moved them down to her waist—she had been forced to watch Skydive make out with Swordslash too many times, and she knew what it was supposed to look like.

With his new grasp on her waist, Microdigit gently pulled Fireblast closer and kissed her lovingly—the feeling began at his lips but spread throughout his entire body, sort of a tingly feeling yet warm and extremely pleasurable, all at the same time. Either way, it felt nothing short of wonderful.

_This mech is so sweet_, _even if he IS a bit awkward_, Fireblast was thinking. _I don_'_t think I would mind being his girlfriend_.

_I know this femme is my spark_-_mate_, thought Microdigit. _I love her_.

As the kiss continued, both of them…stopped thinking so much, and lost themselves in the beauty of a first kiss—a memory that never fades away.


	10. Shocking News

**Wow…it's been a while since I've last posted a chapter, but Chapter Ten is finally here! I apologize for the long wait, for any of you who are interested in this particular story. Enjoy!**

_Several solar cycles after Halloween_, _at the Decepticon base_…

Swordslash and Skydive were lying in bed together, wrapped up in each other's arms. They were now back at base again—they had been searching for Fireblast for solar cycles and solar cycles, but since they had become fatigued, they decided that if they didn't take a little rest, they would never be able to find her.

At this moment, Skydive and Swordslash were both in Skydive's bed. It was morning—not just any morning. It was the morning after an amazing night full of 'facing and overloads, for both parties.

"Come get some breakfast, darling!" they heard Spaceflower call from the kitchen.

"Coming, Mom!" Skydive responded, and got out of bed. "I could go for some energon."

"Me too," her husband-to-be said, following her out of the bedroom.

By the time they got there, all the other Decepticons were there, too. Swordslash started reading a copy of the _Decepticon Tribune_, and Skydive, searching for reading material of her own as she daintily sipped her energon, picked up a copy of her mother's favorite magazine, _Decepticon Femme_.

While she was reading she came across a surprising article—about accidental sparklings because couples weren't careful during their 'facing. Skydive remembered last night and found herself thinking, _What if_…? Well, there was only one way to find out. As inconspicuously as she could, she took her beloved out into the hallway and had him look at the article.

"You think this is what happened to you?" Swordslash asked, looking shocked.

"I think I should buy one of those tests, just to be sure," Skydive replied. "I'm not going to go to a doctor because if I do, my parents will find out."

"Well, if the test is positive, you'll _have _to tell them…"

"That's _why_ I need to get tested." Skydive shrugged and led Swordslash back into the kitchen, where Starscream had picked up Swordslash's copy of the _Decepticon Tribune _and was flipping through the pages nonchalantly between sips of energon. This was apparently a very relaxing morning for Starscream—Swordslash didn't want to think about what the Seeker would do if the test _was _positive.

"Swordslash and I need to make a quick run to the store," Skydive was saying. "We just need to pick up a few grocery items."

_After the store trip_…

"Swordslash, just go out into the kitchen while I take this test," Skydive said, holding up the pregnancy test Swordslash had bought for her. Swordslash nodded, nervously, and went into the hallway.

"Where is my daughter?" asked Spaceflower.

"And what did you guys buy?" added Starscream.

"We just bought, um, some…some armor…and some oil…" Swordslash was feeling unusually nervous. "Nothing to be concerned about. If you're wondering where your daughter is, she's just a little tired, so she went to her room to get some recharge."

"If you say so." Starscream shrugged.

"Are you finished reading the _Decepticon Tribune_?" asked Swordslash. "It's my favorite newspaper, you know…"

Starscream nodded and handed it over. Swordslash started reading; there was nothing too unusual, mostly just reports on where the Elite Guard ship was stationed, or on Autobot and Decepticon activity. Apparently, there had been no major battles on Cybertron—at least, no battles that were major enough to make the news.

That is, until Swordslash turned to the "Health" section of the paper, and gasped. Of course, he knew of the deadly Cybertronian virus that was running rampant across Cybertron—everyone did…but these casualties were worse than he could have imagined.

"What's happening on Cybertron?" Megatron was carefully watching Swordslash read the newspaper. Apparently he wanted to keep up with the Decepticon news on his home planet.

"It's that horrible virus again," Swordslash replied, shaking his head. "Someone needs to do something about it before everyone on the planet goes offline."

"Let me see," said Starscream, grabbing the paper. "Listen—it says, 'Cybertron's top medics and scientists are both working on discovering a cure for this deadly virus, but whether or not any progress has been made is yet to be announced. Meanwhile, the denizens of our home planet are going offline every solar cycle."

"What terrible news!" Spaceflower cried, grabbing onto Starscream; he put his arm around her and set the _Decepticon Tribune _down on the kitchen table.

Swordslash picked it up and began turning through the pages again. "It doesn't look like there's anything else worth reading about. No battles or anything. There's this one stupid article—_Inappropriate Decepticon Television Programs Currently Corrupting This Generation of Sparklings_. I mean, honestly, who cares about that? Now they're probably going to cancel all the good Decepticon channels."

"You might be forgetting, Swordslash, that I have final jurisdiction over every Decepticon channel, and no one is allowed to cancel any channel without my approval," Megatron reminded him, sounding annoyed. "I need my horror movies."

"Then you should cancel Seeker Daily Drama," Starscream told him. "Nobody likes that show. _Nobody_."

"I probably will, someday," Megatron replied. "For now, though, Starscream, don't you know there's a war on?"

Before Starscream could answer, they heard Skydive call, "Swordslash!"

"Coming, Sweetie!" Swordslash jumped up from the table so fast he almost knocked his chair over. Without a moment's hesitation, he dashed out into the hallway.

"Was it just me, or was he acting a little funny?" asked Starscream.

"Oh, they're young and in love," Spaceflower told him, smiling softly. "I'm sure we acted the exact same way, when we were their age."

"No, you acted worse," said Megatron. "I thought Starscream couldn't get more annoying, but—"

"Now, now, let's not start a fight, my liege," Spaceflower said sweetly, her vocal weapon kicking in. Starscream had always been entranced by the sound of her voice, and now was no exception. Almost subconsciously, he stretched one arm across the table and reached for her servo.

"I love you, Spaceflower," he told her, grabbing her other servo.

"I love you too, Starscream," she whispered back, staring into his optics; he felt his spark beating faster as he remembered their wedding day, and their spark-bonding, and how much they had 'faced on their honeymoon (using best mech Blitzwing's gift of extra-large condoms). They hadn't really been 'facing much lately, but…why not? They were still in love!

In a sudden fit of lust, Starscream grasped his beloved in his arms and kissed her passionately on the lips, just like in the old days, the days they thought would never end. Spaceflower squealed with delight and soon glossa became involved, and then servos, and then…well…something that probably should have been confined to the bedroom, until finally they separated from each other, gasping for air—but, after a moment, began making out again. They both needed it.

_Meanwhile_…

"Well, Swordslash, not that I don't like sparklings, but I don't consider it good news that my test was positive," whispered Skydive, as soon as Swordslash stepped into the hallway. "I just don't think I'm ready yet."

"So what are we going to do?" Swordslash hissed.

"We have to tell my parents about it," Skydive replied fearfully. "Dad will probably shoot you when he finds out, but they're going to find out one way or another and when they do, I want it to be from us."

"No sense in putting it off, then," said Swordslash, and pulled her into the kitchen, where they were surprised to find…_STARSCREAM AND SPACEFLOWER MAKING OUT_?

"Mom! Dad! Seriously!" cried Skydive.

"Oh…sorry, honey," said Spaceflower, separating from her husband and looking embarrassed.

"We came here because we have news that you might not be too happy about," Skydive told her parents, nervously.

"You two are probably going to take turns killing me after you hear it," Swordslash added.

"Oh, I'm sure it can't be _that _bad." Spaceflower smiled warmly.

"It _is_ that bad," said Skydive. "We figured we should tell you, though…I just found out I'm pregnant."

"_WHAT_?" Spaceflower cried.

Starscream, who had just taken a huge gulp of energon, spit it out all over the table in shock. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"I'm afraid not," Swordslash replied. "I mean, we both love sparklings, and we would love to be parents someday, but…we're not ready yet. That's why it's not really good news."

"We _had _this discussion, Swordslash," said Starscream angrily. "I _told_ you. I do _not _want or expect to become a grandparent until my _own_ son—" (he gestured to his youngest sparkling, who was screaming away, like usual) "—is old enough for the branding ceremony. Did you not hear a word I was telling you?"

"It…it was an accident," Skydive told him, looking a little ashamed.

"Yeah, we kind of guessed that." Starscream was looking furious at both his daughter and his future son-in-law, and so was Spaceflower.

"Skydive, I never would have expected this out of you!" Spaceflower cried. "I can't believe my own daughter would become pregnant at such a young age!"

"We all knew you were 'facing, but could you at least have been more careful?" Starscream agreed.

"Oh, like you're one to talk," said Megatron. "Might I remind you of how responsible _you _were in _your _relationship, Starscream?"

"That is _beside the point_, Megatron," Starscream told his leader through clenched teeth. "I'm trying to scold my irresponsible daughter and her irresponsible husband-to-be!"

"No need for that!" Skydive cried, looking more upset by the second. "Swordslash and I will take care of it all!"

"Yes, we will do whatever we can!" Swordslash added.

"You'd better, Swordslash," said Starscream, rather menacingly. "Because from now on, this sparkling is _your _responsibility."

"I-I won't let you down, sir," Swordslash replied, looking terrified.

"Oh, great," they heard Megatron mutter. "Another weird sparkling to add to the collection."

_Back on the Elite Guard ship_, _in Percy_'_s science lab_…

"So, tell me what you were working on," said Microdigit, a little shyly, as he approached his potential girlfriend from behind.

"Just trying to find the cure for that pesky virus," Fireblast told him. "After doing some research I found out that even if viruses start in only one part of the body, they spread until the entire body is consumed with the virus. It really is a death sentence."

"Have you found out anything yet?" asked Microdigit, fascinated.

"Not _exactly_," Fireblast replied. "I've been experimenting with different chemicals and such to find out how the cause of the virus reacts to them—because you yourself found out what causes it, remember? I need to do some more research, too—I need to research the cause of the virus itself."

"It seems to me like you're making an awful lot of scientific progress," Microdigit told her. "I think science might be your specialty."

"Oh, don't be silly," Fireblast laughed. "I don't have a specialty. I just like doing this—and, of course, I like the fact that we're doing something to help literally millions of innocent Cybertronian denizens who are going offline because of this virus."

"I think you're the one being silly," Microdigit replied, and timidly kissed her cheek. "_Everyone _has a specialty—and I think you've found yours. Now keep experimenting and researching, and I'll try to do the same. If we do, and if we get Percy to help us too, we might just find what we're looking for."

Fireblast smiled. "I sure hope so."

When Microdigit was at another lab table, though, and grabbing test tubes and chemicals out of a cabinet, Fireblast was watching him. Could he be right? Had the study of science been her specialty all along—and she just didn't know it?

_In that case_, thought Fireblast, _I need to work even harder_.


	11. Sunset

It was a rainy morning on Earth. Fireblast was sitting at the kitchen table, sipping some low-grade energon. To be sure, she missed high-grade energon like she missed Decepticon-grade motor oil, but it couldn't be helped.

Microdigit was nearby, drinking motor oil. After another sip he put the canister down and poked Percy, who was drinking energon, too.

"Are you done with _Scientific Autobot CPU_, Perceptor?" he asked.

"Yes, I'm finished," Percy replied, handing over the magazine. Microdigit opened it and eagerly began reading.

"So…what's happening on Cybertron, Ultra Magnus, sir?" said Fireblast. Ultra Magnus was reading the _Autobot Tribune_, which he had subscribed to, among other magazines and newspapers.

"Well, they're going to cancel _Autobot Makeover Madness_," Ultra Magnus told her. "In fact, they're considering taking that whole channel off the air."

"Oh, Skydive is _not _going to be happy about this…" Fireblast shook her head and sighed. "_Autobot Makeover Madness _is her favorite show. Why in Primus are they taking it off the air?"

"Apparently, many Cybertronians believe it teaches young Autobot viewers that appearance is the only thing that matters," Ultra Magnus replied.

"I thought appearance _is _the only thing that matters," Fireblast joked, grinning. (Of course, she knew it wasn't true.)

Microdigit looked up from _Scientific Autobot CPU _for a moment and told her, shyly, "Well, you _are _very pretty."

Fireblast felt herself blushing a little and looked down at her feet. "Oh…um…thanks."

"I don't know why they would cancel the show when they get such high ratings," Microdigit said pensively. "That channel is one of the more popular Autobot channels."

"And it draws tourists to Central City," Fireblast added. "Ever since Skydive found out _Autobot Makeover Madness _is filmed in Central City, she's been insistent on going there. Not because she thinks she needs a makeover or anything, but because she wants to meet the makeover experts who run the show."

Ultra Magnus turned another page in the _Autobot Tribune_. "Oh, great…there's another article about that virus again."

"Let me see that," said Percy, grabbing the newspaper. "Dear Primus! It says, 'Each and every one of Cybertron's top scientists and medics are doing all they can, but it seems not enough. Quite possibly, the entire Autobot race could be taken offline by this deadly virus by the next stellar cycle. Where is the Elite Guard?' How dare they say that!"

"Well, the _Autobot Tribune _is the biggest newspaper on Cybertron, Perceptor," Microdigit reminded his boss. "So I guess they can say whatever they want."

"No, just because they're a popular newspaper doesn't mean they can say anything they want," Percy told him. "The news still has to be _true_…or, it _should _be true, at least."

"Well, at least the articles are true in _Scientific Autobot CPU_," Microdigit said, shrugging and smiling.

"Yes, I've written for _Scientific Autobot CPU _several times," Percy agreed. "It's my favorite magazine."

"Do Decepticons subscribe to any magazines or newspapers?" Microdigit asked, turning towards his potential girlfriend.

"Megatron subscribes to the _Decepticon Tribune_, Swindle reads the _Cybertronian Salesbot Journal_, and my mom reads _Decepticon Femme_, but that's it. I know Swordslash, my brother-in-law, likes reading the _Decepticon Tribune_ too, though."

"What do Decepticons watch on TV?" Microdigit continued. Of course, he sort of wanted to know what the Decepticons did in their spare time, but the main reason he was asking all these questions was because he just wanted to talk to Fireblast about _something_. (And, if he had the choice, he would sit and stare at her all solar cycle long.)

"Oh, we watch all kinds of things," Fireblast said happily. "As you know, Skydive watches _Autobot Makeover Madness_ obsessively…and she and all the other Seekers are always watching the Seeker channels…and Megatron is really into horror movies…my mom likes romance movies and soaps—even though you Autobots have the best of those…and we all love comedies. There's this show called _Cybertron_'_s Dumbest Citizens_—hilarious. It's where they gather up idiotic Cybertronian civilians and see if they can answer simple questions, which they never can."

"Too bad we don't get that channel." Microdigit shrugged.

Fireblast just smiled and went back to drinking her energon. Microdigit was _pretending_ to be engrossed in _Scientific Autobot CPU_, but really he wasthinking about when he and Fireblast kissed, and how much fun they had on Halloween—well, besides the fact that they ran into Megatron and his troops, obviously.

_Maybe I could ask her out on another date_, _right now_, Microdigit was thinking. _I think she enjoyed the past few_.

"Hey—um…Fireblast…I-I was wondering if, um…" Microdigit was nervous, yet again, but Fireblast was smiling.

"If what?" she asked, teasing him a little.

"Do you want to—to, um, go on a date tonight?" he blurted out.

"Sure," Fireblast answered, kissing him on the cheek. "I would love to."

"Don't think I'm giving you my credit card again, mister," Percy told Microdigit. "I wouldn't let you loose with it again even if my spark depended on it."

"Percy got a little mad about how I used his credit card to buy you that Decepticon motor oil," Microdigit whispered to Fireblast, and she giggled. Percy just sighed and went back to drinking his energon.

…

"Seriously, where are you taking me?" giggled Fireblast, pulling again at the blindfold over her optic sensors. Microdigit just smiled and led her on, happy for the excuse to hold her servo. He led her past downtown Detroit to the city's main park, complete with statues, old people, babies in carriages, trees, grass, and the golden glow of the setting sun.

"Okay, you can take it off, now," said Microdigit, sitting himself and his potential girlfriend down on the grass.

Fireblast did. "Where are we?"

"I just wanted to surprise you with a romantic sunset picnic," Microdigit explained, setting his picnic basket down.

"What's a picnic?"

"It's a human custom, sort of like dinner outside," Microdigit told her. "Except instead of human food we'll just have some of the motor oil I brought…"

"We can have our own picnic in the park," Fireblast said, smiling.

Microdigit reached up and gently brushed one servo across Fireblast's cheek. "Yes, and we can watch the sunset together, too."

_Watch the sunset_? Fireblast looked towards the western sky. It wasn't that late in the solar cycle, yet the sun was already sinking below the clouds. The sun set so early this time of year. The trees were bare; the ground was coated with their fallen leaves. The humans were beginning to leave, since the Earth was colder at night—and humans don't come with internal heating systems like robots do.

Turning her head away from the sky, Fireblast looked at Microdigit again—he was taking a white picnic blanket (with the Elite Guard insignia on it) out of the basket. As she watched, he stood up and spread it onto the ground, evening out all the corners and smoothing out wrinkles. Finally, he sat down on it and gestured for Fireblast to come too (she was still on the grass).

"For a picnic, you always need a picnic blanket," Microdigit informed her, taking a canister of motor oil out of the basket and handing it to her. "I know you don't really like Autobot motor oil, but…well, to be honest, that's all we have."

"That's okay," said Fireblast, kissing Microdigit on the cheek. "It's the thought that counts."

Microdigit looked towards Fireblast and smiled. The kiss was still burning on his cheek. As inconspicuously as he could, he turned on his cooling fans—because he figured he was going to be needing them a lot more than his internal heating system, once they started kissing for real.

Fireblast opened her oil canister and grimaced as she drank it—she was drinking it, of course, because she didn't want to be rude. Microdigit might not have realized it, but he really did look handsome in the twilight as he opened his own oil canister. Not the same way that Swordslash was handsome (although Fireblast didn't find the Decepticon trooper quite as attractive as her sister did), but handsome nonetheless, in his own nerdy way.

_I know she HATES Autobot_ _motor oil_, Microdigit was thinking, as he watched Fireblast drink the oil he'd brought. _Yet she drinks it anyway_—_what a thoughtful femme_.

Microdigit put his oil canister down and gently reached out one servo. Fireblast set her own canister down and slipped her servo into his.

"I-I've never met any Decepticons before, besides you," Microdigit told her, avoiding her optics (he knew he was blushing again). "Of course, I _have _heard stories about how cruel and evil Decepticons are…but being with you made me realize that maybe Decepticons _aren_'_t _all bad."

Fireblast smiled. "Megatron always says the Autobots are the evil ones—that they don't deserve to be in control of Cybertron—but now that I've been on the Elite Guard ship, I've learned that you guys aren't all that bad, either."

The sun was setting now; the sky was fiery red as it cast its amber rays of light across the city. Microdigit took a deep breath and felt the cool autumn wind blow across his face and he looked up, meeting her optics. "I don't care if there's a war on, Fireblast. If an Autobot and a Decepticon want to be together, they should be allowed to be together."

"So you…you want to make it official?" Fireblast asked, optics wide.

"Only if you do," Microdigit replied. (To be honest, this wasn't entirely true—if she didn't want to make it "official", he still would want to, very much so, but, details…)

"I do," Fireblast whispered, pulling him closer as the sun began to sink beneath the trees.

"Then please—let me be your nerd in shining armor," Microdigit whispered back, and as the sun finally set, he pressed his lips against hers, delving into a passionate kiss. Fireblast knocked Microdigit down on the blanket without breaking their kiss; they were wrapped up in each other's arms, on a picnic blanket in the park under the stars. And they were _both _hopelessly infatuated now.

**TO BE CONTINUED!**


	12. Back in the Science Lab

_Later that night_…

Microdigit was walking Fireblast back to the Elite Guard ship after their date—in his opinion, the most wonderful date they'd had yet. In one servo he was holding the picnic basket, and he was surprised to feel someone else's servo slip into his other servo—Fireblast's.

"I had a really good time tonight," she was telling him.

"You're not the only one," he replied, nodding and smiling.

It was perhaps around 6:00 when they finally got back to the Elite Guard ship (since the sun had set maybe around 4:30). Fireblast led her new boyfriend into the lab, since in her opinion it was too early for them to separate. Of course, she remembered to lock the door behind her.

"Why are we going into the lab?" said Microdigit.

"It's only 6:00," Fireblast replied. "Don't you think it's a little too early for our date to end?"

Microdigit nodded, and the two of them sat down by the wall. Half of Microdigit's CPU was filled with confusion—_what is it she wants from me_? The other half was filled with lust—_whatever she wants from me_, _I am willing to give it to her_.

To be sure, Fireblast wasn't entirely sure she was ready for 'facing, but, well, there was only one way to find out. Plus, this solar cycle they had finally declared their relationship official—not just lab partners or friends, but a real relationship, real love. So if they _were_ 'facing, it wouldn't be just something meaningless, it would be about true love.

Besides, they were alone in Percy's lab, behind locked doors, and that, added to the fact that they were both filled with uncontrollable lustful feelings, well…how could they ever resist the temptation?

"Okay, um, what do you want to do?" Microdigit asked nervously.

Fireblast seductively ran her servo down Microdigit's arm and whispered, "We're alone in Percy's lab, the door is locked…what do you _think _I'm planning on doing, silly?"

"Seriously, I-I'm still a virgin, Fireblast, and I'm not sure if you are or not, but…are you…are you sure we're ready for this?"

Fireblast smiled, trying to hide how scared _she _was beginning to feel. "Only one way to find out."

Hmm. Maybe she was right. After all, it wasn't that Microdigit didn't _want_ it. (In fact, he was pressurized almost to the point of release already.) It was just that he was disastrously inexperienced, and he was _sure _something would go horribly wrong, or that she wouldn't enjoy it—something like that.

For some reason, Microdigit's fear made Fireblast less fearful herself—maybe because now she knew she wasn't the only one who was scared of how the First Time would turn out. It was showing in his sky-blue eyes, and he was trembling all over. As gently as she could, she smiled and told him, "Microdigit, I'm a virgin too, you know. You're not the only one who's scared."

The sensation of Fireblast placing her servos on his shoulders…her beautiful red optics staring into his own fright-filled blue ones…that mischievous smile on her lips…

Microdigit whispered (meaning every word of it), "Fireblast, I don't want to lose my virginity to anyone except you."

Summoning up every ounce of courage in his body, he reached up and gently stroked one of her sleek black wings. Fireblast smiled even wider and closed her optics as Microdigit continued this; she sighed with pleasure and slowly ran her servos down his body, giving her new boyfriend the strangest feeling in his already-pressurized interface equipment—but it was a good feeling…a _very _good feeling.

Fireblast, meanwhile, was basking in the pleasure she would experience anytime anyone handled her wings. Her wingflaps were one of the most sensitive parts of her whole body, and even though they were pretty much useless when she tried to fly, when Microdigit touched them, it felt nothing short of fantastic.

As Microdigit continued stroking her wings, Fireblast's servo reached down to Microdigit's interface panel—just a bit too much for him to handle at this point. He sighed happily as his spike escaped and she began to stroke it. She whispered, as seductively as she could, "Well, it appears I'm not the only one covered in lube, am I?"

He blushed as soon as he realized he was soaking wet, but…she was, too? Well, _that _was kind of hot, if you asked him.

"Come _here_," he whispered back, uncharacteristically boldly, and he heard her gasp in surprise as he finally spiked her. It didn't hurt as much as he thought it would (since he had no idea how it would feel in the first place). In fact, it didn't really hurt at all. It felt…amazing!

Fireblast felt a sharp pain as soon as Microdigit spiked her. Of course, she knew 'facing was supposed to hurt, at least the first couple times, but it was still kind of…startling.

_Am I going to be able to overload like this_? Fireblast was wondering. _Is it going to hurt like this the WHOLE time_? _What if we get caught_?

_I can_'_t believe this is ACTUALLY happening_! Microdigit was thinking, meanwhile. _I_'_m finally _'_facing with someone_! _And not just anyone_…_Fireblast_! _Dreams DO come true_!

Microdigit was also a little worried, of course, that he wasn't going to do it right, since 'facing was pretty much still a mystery to him, but that worry kind of…disappeared, once he experienced the kind of pleasure that only interface could bring.

Fireblast's pain was starting to fade, as Microdigit started stroking her wings again. She could tell that he was _very _close to overload by now, and she was hoping to achieve the same thing…

_Just lay back and enjoy it_, _for spark_'_s sake_, Fireblast reminded herself. _This is _'_facing_, _it_'_s supposed to be fun_.

Fireblast took a deep breath and focused on the sensation of his increasingly fast-paced thrusting. It was intense but pleasurable, too, like nothing she had ever felt before. She closed her optics and began kissing Microdigit, running her servos down his body. He was moaning louder and louder; Fireblast's own pleasure started to increase as her pain started to decrease…she started mewling a little herself and breathing faster and faster, keeping a tight grip on Microdigit all the time. _Wow_, _this really DOES feel great_!

Microdigit was thrusting harder and harder (but not hard enough to hurt), thinking, _This only gets better and better and_…_OHHHH_!—at last, just when he thought 'facing couldn't get ANY better, Microdigit's CPU had overloaded, and that was the best feeling of all.

Fireblast felt her new boyfriend relax in her arms, and she whispered, "Microdigit, you overloaded…"

Exhaustedly but contentedly, Microdigit nodded and gave her a dazed smile, since he was still unable to talk—but Fireblast knew this 'facing session had worked out for him nonetheless. She was pretty sure her own CPU hadn't overloaded, but she knew that she had come pretty darn close.

Finally, Microdigit felt his cooling fans kicked in, and he was brought back to reality. "Oh, Fireblast, that was…that was _magnificent_."

"Thank you," Fireblast replied, smiling and kissing his cheek.

This was the first _real _overload Microdigit had experienced—he had tried to overload himself a couple times, just to see what it felt like, but he always got too embarrassed and/or scared after a few seconds. Now he had finally 'faced with a real, beautiful femme with a real, beating spark and achieved a real, heavenly overload.

"I think we're going to have to do a little cleaning, though…" Fireblast was saying as she stood up. Microdigit stood up too, and looked around.

"Oh dear Primus!" he shrieked, putting both servos over his mouth. There was lube and transfluid all over the floor, and he realized it was still running down his leg, too. Fireblast looked a little shocked, and Microdigit's faceplates were burning-hot.

"I never knew 'facing could be so…so _messy_," Fireblast said slowly.

"Why oh why did we interface in Percy's lab?" Microdigit cried. "If he finds out I was 'facing in his lab, he'll fire me for _sure_!"

"Not if we clean it up," Fireblast told him matter-of-factly. "All we have to do is make the floor shiny-clean again before he comes back. Besides, the door is locked."

"Yeah, but it's his lab!" Microdigit reminded her. "So he can override the code on the lock!"

"Oh…I forgot about that," Fireblast said, looking a little embarrassed. "Come on, let's hurry up and get the floor clean."

As quickly as they could, the two of them grabbed some cleaning supplies out of the closet and got to work; miraculously, they were all finished before anyone bothered to come looking for them.

"Wow, it actually looks pretty good," said Microdigit, sighing with relief. "For a moment there I thought I'd lost my internship."

"Just remember, it's our little secret," Fireblast told him, grinning and putting one finger to her lips. Microdigit gently took her servo in his, and they walked out of the science lab.


	13. Relationship Matters

_That next morning_, _at breakfast_…

Fireblast and Microdigit were both feeling unusually flirtatious. It reminded Fireblast so of how Skydive and Swordslash always acted. Fireblast never thought she would act like that, _ever_, and yet here she was (and after a night of 'facing, too).

Microdigit was taking a sip of motor oil when Fireblast jokingly grabbed it from him. Microdigit kissed her on the cheek, and Fireblast kissed him on the lips. This induced an impromptu makeout session—really, they couldn't help it. They both were so glad they were finally in an "official" relationship with each other.

"Would you two glitch-heads PLEASE get a room?" they heard Sentinel Prime holler (which he did every time they showed any affection for each other, but they paid no heed).

"You're just jealous, Sentinel," said Microdigit, after reluctantly breaking the kiss.

"Yeah, all you have to frag is your oversized chin," Fireblast added, giggling.

"Now, now, enough with the smartmouthery, Fireblast," Ultra Magnus told her casually, after taking a sip of some more energon.

"It doesn't matter, as long as my boyfriend and I can keep making out," Fireblast replied. Microdigit nodded happily, and they continued, even more enthusiastically than before.

"You made a mistake accepting her onto the Elite Guard, Ultra Magnus!" Sentinel told his boss angrily. "As if that nerd-bot wasn't annoying enough!"

Microdigit pulled away from the kiss again. "I have a name, you know!"

"Nobody cares!" yelled Sentinel.

"I care," Fireblast told him. "His name is Microdigit."

Microdigit, without another word, resumed his makeout session with Fireblast, who happily obliged. Microdigit had been feeling much more confident since last night, which only made everything better.

_Several solar cycles later_, _back at the Decepticon base_…

"Skydive, darling…" Spaceflower gently placed one servo on her daughter's shoulder. "I thought that perhaps you should go and get a checkup soon. When in your condition, it's very important to be in perfect health."

"Oh…I never thought of that," said Skydive. "Yes, I suppose it wouldn't hurt."

"As you know, dear, we Decepticons have no medical care here on Earth," Spaceflower continued. "So are you okay with going to the Autobots' base again? They have a wonderful medic-bot."

"Um…okay, Mom, whatever you want," Skydive replied, shrugging—and maybe even looking a little nervous.

Spaceflower and Skydive typically got along fine, but ever since Skydive found out she was pregnant, both Skydive and Swordslash had been very tentative around Skydive's parents (who would soon be, of course, Swordslash's parents-in-law).

"Well, that's good," Swordslash said, putting an arm around Skydive's shoulders. "Of course, I want my Sweetie to be in perfect health."

…

So, the next solar cycle, Megatron, Blitzwing, Starscream, Spaceflower, Skydive and Swordslash all headed to the Autobots' base. The Decepticons hadn't warned the Autobots about their arrival, so Optimus and his team were surprised when they heard their doorbell ringing.

"I'll get it," said Optimus, walking to the door, and once he opened it, he cried, "Decepticons? What are you doing here?"

"We need to see your medic-bot," said Skydive, looking uncharacteristically scared.

"What for?" called Ratchet, from the couch.

"Now, now, let them in first," said Optimus, opening the door wider, and the large group of Decepticons walked inside.

"Again, why did you want to see me?" asked Ratchet again.

"My daughter, Skydive, is pregnant, and we just wanted to make sure she was healthy," Spaceflower replied.

"I wasn't trying to get pregnant," added Skydive, "but I decided to keep the sparkling anyway."

"Like mother, like daughter, I suppose," Ratchet grumbled, getting off the couch.

"What do you mean?" asked Skydive.

"Well, _you_ were an accident, too, you know, Miss Skydive," Ratchet told her.

"Mom? Dad?" Skydive turned toward her parents, feeling shocked. Both of them looked extremely embarrassed.

After a long silence, Starscream finally shrugged nervously and said, "Well, um, it just kind of…happened, you know?"

"Your parents never quite understood the meaning of contraception," Ratchet told Skydive matter-of-factly.

"Indeed," Megatron added. "If it weren't for chance, Starscream and Spaceflower would surely be well past their sixteenth sparkling by now."

"Starscream used up my wedding gift during his honeymoon alone!" cackled Blitzwing (in "Random" mode, of course).

"Oh, yeah, he got you condoms, didn't he?" asked Megatron, smirking. "I almost forgot about that."

"_Don_'_t _remind me," said Starscream, scowling. "I'm still mad at you for that, Blitzwing."

Blitzwing was still laughing, and Skydive was looking grossed out. Finally, she said, "If what they say is true, Mom and Dad, I don't think you should have yelled at me so much for getting accidentally pregnant."

"Yeah, I don't think that's very fair," agreed Swordslash.

"Well, _life_ isn't fair, mister," said Ratchet, crossing his arms. "Get used to it."

"You don't know anything about unfair, Autobot!" Swordslash hollered suddenly. "Do I have to tell you all about my time in the orphanage?"

"No, _please_ don't start talking about the orphanage again, my love," said Skydive.

"Either way, dear, didn't you want that checkup?" asked Spaceflower (even though she probably just wanted to get off the current topic of conversation).

"Oh…um…yeah," said Skydive embarrassedly, and she followed Ratchet into the metal lab. Meanwhile, the rest of the Decepticon visitors sat down on the floor and attempted to make small talk with the other Autobots in the room.

"It's certainly nice to see you all again," Spaceflower said, leaning into Starscream's shoulder.

"Indeed it is," Optimus replied, leaning back on the couch.

"So anyway…do you all know who the father is?" asked Bumblebee.

"_I_'_m_ the father," Swordslash answered grimly.

"Who are you?" said Bumblebee.

"The name's Swordslash, certified Decepticon trooper," Swordslash told him fiercely. "You got a _problem_ with that, Autobot?"

"Um…no, of—of course not!" replied Bumblebee nervously.

"Good," was all Swordslash said, but he was still glaring at everyone in the room.

"Anyway, how much sparkling support does Swordslash have to pay?" asked Optimus. "I mean—I'm just curious."

"_Well_, I don't know about you Autobots, but I feel that if a mech and femme have a sparkling together—accidental _or _on purpose—it's their business," Megatron replied, looking irritated. "I have better things to do than force my subordinates to pay me for stupid things like this."

"So…I guess you could say that he's paying nothing?" Optimus clarified.

"I don't care or want to know about whatever nonsense my subordinates are getting into in the bedroom," said Megatron. "Or couch, or floor, or wherever else they choose to do the deed."

"Well, either way, it's the Elite Guard's rule, not ours," Optimus reminded him, shrugging. "We don't make the rules, we just follow 'em."

"Speaking of, I personally found it terrible that the Elite Guard takes away an Autobot's sparkling if the other parent was a Decepticon," added Spaceflower. "You can only imagine the horrible pain a new mother feels when her sparkling is taken away from her."

"I agree," said Starscream. He knew Spaceflower was thinking of the time when the infant Skydive had been taken away by the Elite Guard. Only by disguising themselves as Autobots were the two of them able to get their sparkling back. Neither of them had forgotten that solar cycle, and they never would.

"Well, um, they take it away because a Decepticon-Autobot sparkling is considered to be illegitimate," Optimus explained, looking uncomfortable.

"Who _cares_ if it's illegitimate?" said Spaceflower passionately. "It's still a sparkling, and the parents are still parents. Megatron's right—if a couple has a sparkling, it's _their _business, and no one else's."

"Hey!" said Bumblebee, pointing towards the doorway. "Looks like Skydive's checkup is over with."

"Are you okay, Sweetie?" asked Swordslash, rushing to her side.

"Um, yes, yes I am, but—" Skydive was about to say something, but Ratchet cut her off.

"Skydive is perfectly healthy," said Ratchet, waving his servo to make Swordslash and Skydive go back with the other Decepticons. "And she was never pregnant at all."

"But she took the test," said Swordslash. "How could she not be pregnant if the test was positive?"

"Those cheap tests can be very unreliable," Ratchet replied. "Why didn't you just go get professionally tested in the first place?"

"Swordslash and I wanted to buy an OTC test rather than go to a medic-bot because we didn't want you to know what we were doing," Skydive said humbly. "We just didn't want you to get angry…even though you did anyway."

"Well, I shouldn't have gotten so angry with you, Sweetie," Spaceflower told her daughter, hugging her close. "I'm sorry."

"How many times do I have to tell you, Mom?" said Skydive. "My name is Skydive now. Nobody calls me Sweetie any more except Swordslash."

"I know, Sweetie, but…" Spaceflower was tearing up again. "It's just that…you know, you're—you're getting married, and you had a pregnancy scare, and—and it feels like just last solar cycle I fed you motor oil for the first time! I love you, Sweetie!"

"Don't cry, my love," said Starscream, quickly prying Spaceflower off Skydive.

"They grow up _so fast_!" Spaceflower sobbed into Starscream's shoulder, as Starscream wrapped his arms around her. "Oh, I promised myself I wouldn't do this!"

"It's fine, Mom," said Skydive, joining into the hug with her parents. "Don't worry."

"Group hug!" screamed Random, throwing his arms around Megatron, who shoved him off.

"I don't _do _hugs," said Megatron, which finally got a laugh out of Spaceflower.

"And someday, Mom, when I really am ready," Skydive added, looking like _she _was going to cry, too, "Swordslash and I _will _have a sparkling, one that you can take care of as if it was your very own."

"Thank you, Sweetie—um, I mean, Skydive," said Spaceflower, wiping tears off her faceplates.

"Oh, you can call me Sweetie if you really want to," Skydive replied, grinning, which just made Spaceflower start crying all over again.

"You know, Starscream, I think I _am _going to cancel Seeker Daily Drama," said Megatron pensively. "Because after all, I get quite enough of it in real life."


	14. Merry Christmas!

**Hello everyone, it's me again. Sorry Chapter Fourteen took so long, but I have been very busy (schoolwork and such)…but it's here now! I decided that this chapter should be the official Christmas chapter, since Christmas is coming up so soon. Anyway, enjoy!**

Recently, the Decepticons had been watching their TV much more frequently, considering the schedule had been switched around a bit.

The final episode of _Seeker Daily Drama _was airing this solar cycle (finally!) but nobody wanted to watch it, and at least for now, the time slot for _Seeker Daily Drama _would now be filled with reruns from Starscream's favorite TV show. The show was called _Wings on the Wind_, _Spirit in the Sky_, and it was the ultimate Seeker program.This caused Starscream to do a lot more TV-watching than ever before, but he was jubilant that they gave his TV show more time, and Megatron was just happy Starscream wasn't bothering him as much any more.

Skydive, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as joyful.

"Mom! Dad!" she shrieked, running out of the TV room and into the kitchen, where Starscream and Spaceflower were casually talking by the refrigerator. "I can't believe this! They took _Autobot Makeover Madness _off the air!"

"Really?" said Starscream. "What are they replacing it with?"

"_Cybertron Sings_," Skydive told him grumpily. "Who in Primus wants to watch—"

"Did you say _Cybertron Sings_?" Spaceflower practically screamed. "They're putting that back on the air? Oh, I love that show!"

"Mom, are you serious?" Skydive looked baffled.

"Yes," Spaceflower replied happily. "_Cybertron Sings _used to be on TV when I was a sparkling, younger than you. I always wanted to try out but my parents said wait, wait until you're older. By the time I was old enough they had taken it off the air—I don't really know why, but they did. Now I can finally try out!"

"And just think, you will most definitely win," Starscream said, grinning. "Never forget your voice weapon."

"What if they don't accept Decepticons?" asked Skydive, a little worriedly.

"They do," Spaceflower told her. "Remember, I've watched the show before."

"If you won, Mom, it would bring a lot of honor to our family…and to the Decepticons," Skydive added, looking excited. "You know what? I think you should do it. Where are the auditions?"

"They're located in Central City, the capital city of Cybertron," Spaceflower replied. "But…but…what would become of my family? How could I abandon all of you? We have a young sparkling."

"We can take care of him," Starscream assured her. "I need to teach him how to fly soon, anyway…and we need to think of a better name."

"The tryouts are right around New Year's," said Spaceflower. "At that time, I'll have the Autobots help me find a space bridge. We won't have time to build a new one, but…"

"They'd be helping Decepticons get to Cybertron," Skydive reminded them. "If they don't get permission from the Elite Guard before they transport you there, they'll be sent to the stockades for who knows how long. So we have to get the Elite Guard to agree to it first."

"Like they will," Starscream said. "Those glitch-heads on the Elite Guard would never help us with _anything_. Even if it _is _only a singing contest, they'll always think it's some secret plan of Megatron's to take over Cybertron."

"Well, there's no harm in trying…" Spaceflower smiled hopefully.

"Oh, you know I can't say no to you," Starscream said.

"It's settled then," Skydive said firmly. "Come on, let's go watch TV."

Someone had left one of the human channels on. It was a Christmas special (since Christmas was in only a few solar cycles).

"Yay, it's finally December 25! Christmas!" some random human girl was saying on TV. She was standing next to a huge, decorative tree, which was surrounded by presents. "I wonder how many presents are for me!"

"Now, now, don't be selfish," said her mother, walking into the room and smiling. "Remember, Christmas is the day when we _all _give and get presents. How wonderful!"

"Christmas?" Starscream, Spaceflower and Skydive all said at the same time. Intrigued, they watched the rest of the program. They learned about Christmas trees and Christmas cookies and gift-giving, and decided it would be a fun holiday to try to celebrate.

"It's already December 15," Skydive informed them all seriously. "So we'd better get cracking."

_Several solar cycles later_…

Very easily, the Decepticons had set up a holographic Christmas tree in the TV room, and instead of cookies (which they couldn't eat, obviously), they were setting out treats like candied cyberberries—which was, of course, Skydive's idea.

"This is going to be so much fun," Spaceflower said happily. She was studying Christmas carols, so that she could sing a few on Christmas Day. "We can have quite the celebration."

"There's one more thing we have left to do before Christmas, though," Skydive told everyone solemnly.

"What's that?" Starscream asked.

"We need to find Fireblast." Skydive had never looked so determined in all her lifecycle. "I'm not going to rest until I do."

_Meanwhile_…

Ostensibly Microdigit and Fireblast were watching one of the human channels as part of their "human study time", but really it was just their "couple bonding time". Sure, it was important to learn about humans, but neither Microdigit nor Fireblast really cared what was on TV as long as they were together.

"All these Christmas specials…" Fireblast let out a romantic sigh and leaned into her boyfriend as yet another Christmas special played on TV. "These humans have so many holidays. First it was Halloween, now Christmas!"

"Do you like the holographic Christmas tree I set up?" Microdigit asked sweetly, gesturing to the Elite Guard's brand-new, holographic Christmas tree (similar to the one the Decepticons had).

"I love it," Fireblast replied, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm very impressed. I still don't know how you did it all on your own like that."

"Oh, well, I try," said Microdigit, blushing furiously. If truth be told, he hadn't set up the hologram _all _by himself—Perceptor had helped quite a bit, too—but when Fireblast saw the hologram the next solar cycle, and remarked on how beautiful it was, Microdigit decided she didn't need to know that he had gotten a little extra help.

"You know, I don't think that tree is a hologram." Fireblast pointed to the Christmas tree on the TV screen. "I think the humans use real trees on Christmas."

"Wow," said Microdigit, shocked. "I wonder where you get one of _those_."

Fireblast just shrugged, and they continued watching the Christmas special.

_Christmas Day_, _back at the Decepticon base_…

That morning, Spaceflower was singing the most beautiful version of "The First Noel" any of them had ever heard. Swordslash reached for Skydive's servo and she leaned into his shoulder. The music was drifting around them, filling not just their auditory sensors but every bit of their circuitry.

Once Spaceflower was finished, everyone screamed, "ONE MORE! ONE MORE!"

"Oh, well, if you insist." Spaceflower blushed and, in her beautiful soprano, began to sing "Silent Night".

Once the song was over, everyone went over to the table to devour some energon, motor oil, and candied cyberberries. After everyone was done eating, Spaceflower ran up to the front of the room and cried, "Now who's ready for some special Christmas dancing?"

"I AM!" everyone hollered. Starscream was staring at Spaceflower. Her optics were glowing with the enthusiasm she always showed when she was singing, and he thought how lucky he was to be in love with a femme who had something she was so passionate about. Spaceflower grinned and a collective cheer went up as she began to sing "Jingle Bell Rock."

Everyone started dancing (even Megatron—no longer could he resist Spaceflower's vocal weapon), and they danced all solar cycle long. Spaceflower might have been older, and married for stellar cycles (with three children, one of whom had disappeared), but she was still as energetic…and beautiful. Starscream kept his optics more on her than anything else when he was dancing, even when he was in the newly erected Seeker mosh pit.

Skydive and Swordslash came dancing past, and Skydive said, "Merry Christmas, Dad."

_Meanwhile_, _on the Elite Guard ship_…

It was barely light out when Fireblast and Microdigit ran to the main monitor room of the Elite Guard ship to celebrate Christmas. No one else was awake, and they were the only ones there. There was nothing but the glow of the artificial lights on the Christmas tree, but they could easily identify each other's optic sensors glowing in the dark.

Microdigit stuck one servo through the holographic Christmas tree. It made a strange sound and the image faltered for a second or two, but as Microdigit, smirking, pulled his servo out, it returned to normal. Fireblast giggled and stuck her own hand around her boyfriend's waist.

"There's nobody here but us," Microdigit pointed out. "And you don't need to be a genius to put two and two together."

Before he started dating Fireblast, Microdigit had been shy and insecure, but she had boosted his confidence to an unimaginable level, and he often found himself feeling quite flirtatious.

Apparently, Fireblast felt the same way. She knocked her nerd-bot backwards into the hologram, but neither of them noticed, as they had already started to make out.

"Merry Christmas, Microdigit," she whispered seductively.

"Naughty points for you," Microdigit joked.

"Well, I'm a Decepticon," Fireblast reminded him, grinning. "What did you expect? I'm _all_ naughty. Not a nice wire in my circuitry."

Microdigit stared into her red optics and smiled. This femme _was _naughty…

"And that's just the way I like it," he told her, resuming their makeout session.

It had been going strong like that for at least half a megacycle when Sentinel Prime came storming into the main monitor room.

"What in Primus is going ON out here?" he hollered, scratching his head. He had obviously just woken up—his blue optic sensors were still halfway closed and he was stumbling around angrily. Twice he bumped into the doorway, then through the Christmas tree, and then he stepped on Microdigit's head.

"OW!" Microdigit yelled. "Watch where your feet go!"

"Huh?" said Sentinel sleepily. "What…what did I step on?"

"You stepped on my HEAD," Microdigit told him. "Just go back to sleep."

"I can't!" Sentinel told him. "You and your good-for-nothing girlfriend are making too much noise."

"Good-for-nothing?" yelled Fireblast. "No wonder nobody likes you!"

"Can we please stop this?" Microdigit cut in. "I mean, honestly…it _is _Christmas, after all."

"Microdigit's right." Fireblast quickly sat up and turned to her boyfriend. "You always were."

"Well then, it's University of Central City for me," Microdigit replied (he couldn't really think of anything else to say, but Central City _was _where he was planning on going to college, using the money from his internship).

"You're going to apply to University of Central City?" asked Fireblast.

"I already applied," said Microdigit. "Now I'm just waiting for them to answer…I hope with an acceptance letter."

"So you can become a scientist, like Percy," Fireblast added. "Don't worry. I'm rooting for you. I _know _you'll get in."

Before Microdigit could say anything back, they heard the Jettwins bouncing into the main monitor room, happily screaming, "Merry Christmas! Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas, Jetfire and Jetstorm," said Fireblast, smiling and sitting up.

Ultra Magnus and Jazz walked in at that time. Jazz looked happy, but Ultra Magnus still looked a little bit tired (he was holding an energon cube and sipping it slowly, looking rather disoriented).

"Merry Christmas, sir!" said Microdigit, saluting. "Come look at our presents and the holographic Christmas tree I set up all by myself!"

"M-Merry…Christmas…" Ultra Magnus mumbled in reply. He walked over to where Microdigit was standing, near the Christmas tree, and promptly tripped over one of the Christmas presents laying on the floor.

"Ultra Magnus! Watch out!" Fireblast shrieked.

Before anyone could do anything, the energon Ultra Magnus had previously been holding spilled out of his servo and onto the Christmas tree. The image faltered again, fizzled, then, horribly, exploded, right in front of all their optic sensors. Fortunately, the explosion seemed to wake the Elite Guard leader up.

"Did I…did I cause this?" he asked uncomfortably, knowing, most likely, that Autobots in his lofty position typically do not do such things.

"It was an accident," said Fireblast, shrugging, and then, turning to her boyfriend, "Maybe you can fix up another one later today?"

"Oh, um…sure!" Microdigit replied, more than a little nervously. "After all, you wouldn't _believe _how easy it is to set up a holographic Christmas tree. I did it a couple days ago, and I'm sure I can do it again."

"You're so smart, Microdigit," Fireblast cooed. "Of course you can…"

Microdigit was blushing furiously and about to kiss Fireblast's cheek (possibly), but that was when Percy walked in.

"Merry Christmas, everyone," he said. "Wait…why is there energon all over the floor? And what happened to my Christmas tree hologram?"

"_Your _Christmas tree hologram?" asked Fireblast, glaring at Microdigit. "Microdigit said it was his. He said he set it up all on his own—with _no _outside help."

Percy's arms were crossed, and he looked indignant, but finally he sighed and said, "Well, he did help me with it a little."

Microdigit laughed nervously and blushed again. "Um—sorry…"

Fireblast was still glaring, but then she saw the Jettwins giggling, and remembered the importance of forgiveness…

"I guess I'll let it slide this time," she whispered, drawing her boyfriend into a romantic Christmas kiss. "Just _don_'_t _let it happen again."

**TO BE CONTINUED!**

**MERRY CHRISTMAS!**


End file.
